SINGAPORE — The Philippines’ defense secretary cast doubt on a $5.6 billion purchase of American F-16 fighter jets approved in April, saying Manila hasn’t yet decided whether to move forward with the sale.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, a defense summit held in Singapore, Gilberto Teodoro said the Philippines hadn’t yet received a formal offer to purchase the fourth-generation fighters. Even if it had, he said, his department doesn’t know whether it wants them.
“As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing on the table for me to consider,” he said in an interview.
In April, the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale of 20 F-16 fighter…