UTurkish shipbuilders and defense companies are looking to play a more prominent role in the Philippines’ security procurement programs, while also exploring opportunities for joint local production in collaboration with Filipino business partners.
Turkish Ambassador to Manila Niyazi Evren Akyol told reporters at the Turkiye-Philippines Trade Delegation B2B Meetings on Tuesday, Sept. 23, Turkish firms—particularly in construction—are active in over 150 countries and are currently participating in tenders conducted by the Department of National Defense (DND) for the requirement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Turkish companies are already involved in Philippine infrastructure projects such as the North-South Commuter Railway and the supply of helicopters to the AFP.
The ambassador explained that Turkiye’s defense industry cooperation model typically involves long-term partnerships, often incorporating local joint production based on the scope and size of the contract.
For example, Ambassador Akyol noted that Turkiye has established joint production lines in Malaysia and Indonesia for defense-related projects, including armored vehicles and drones.
“We are very interested to do the same model here and of course, shipbuilding, too, as our shipbuilders are one of the biggest in the world,” the ambassador said.
“I cannot speak for individual countries, but looking back on the history of Turkish, builders, military ship builders, and their contracts with other partners, I can safely say that they would be very willing to build here locally, in the Philippines and then transfer the technology. So, it’s going to be a win-win. Philippines wins a new capability, and we win by becoming a long-term partner,” he added.
He emphasized that this proposed collaboration would follow the same model used in Indonesia and Malaysia, which he described as a standard practice rather than an exception.
“We do this in other parts of the world. We set up local production lines and bring some components from Turkey and have some components built here. We train the local technicians, we train the local, actually workers. It’s going to be a lot of specialized workers. So, that is actually a long-term partnership. You must train these individuals continuously. And of course, after a point, Philippines will do it on on its own,” he said.
According to Akyol, Turkish firms are also in contact with the Department of Transportation, which is currently procuring equipment for the Philippine Coast Guard.
Advantages
The ambassador highlighted that one of the key benefits of sourcing defense equipment from Turkey is the country’s ability to supply the majority of the required components in-house.
Unlike other suppliers that source parts from multiple manufacturers across various countries, Turkish manufacturers have a high local input rate—exceeding 80 percent.
“This means that if something goes wrong … there is only one number to call,” he said.
In contrast, he noted that other providers often have to coordinate with several third-party suppliers in case of equipment issues.
“So you can count on this kind of thing: fast response, long term, and easy upgrade, and reliable chain of logistics. Since most of the import is already Turkish, the Turkish company will not have to go abroad and find that foreign company which provided a component that was negotiated separately. I think this is where we have a very strong, comparative advantage, compared to many other competitors,” he concluded.
