Philippine Coast Guard interested in Czech Hangars

16 May 2017 / 08:21

Negotiations over the supply of halls for helicopters, aircraft and soldiers to South-East Asia are being held with family company Attl.

Attl a spol. are negotiating over the possible supply of about fifteen arched halls from Czechia for the Philippine Coast Guard. “This involves three to four aeroplane and helicopter hangars and eleven halls for soldiers and officers,” reveals Head of Sales, Tomáš Attl. Attl specifies that, “in general, I can say that one fully furnished hall 25 by 40 metres in area including a walled section with facilities would represent an investment of roughly 1.5 to 2.5 million Euro for the Coast Guard.”

The Philippines are considering whether to purchase the material only and build the halls themselves, or whether Attl should also secure complete construction, the option which the Coast Guard prefers. Attl company representatives want to open discussions with the Czech Export Bank in the coming days. Should they agree to financing the trade, the contract will go for signature.

According to Benjamin Žiga of the Economic and Trade Department of the Czech Embassy in Manila, now is the ideal time for trade with the Coast Guard, because there are plans for this branch of the armed forces to grow rapidly. “In the first phase, this will involve four thousand new recruits, but over the next ten years the number of members should rise from the current nine thousand to thirty thousand,” says Žiga.

The Philippines are facing a growing number of pirate attacks at sea, along with the challenge posed by the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. There has also been a power struggle in the South China Sea for many years, with territorial disputes over certain islands between the Philippines and China. As such, Manila is boosting its armed forces, in which 85 thousand soldiers are currently serving.