Philippines may buy other fighter jets instead of F-16s

Amid a maritime standoff with China over disputed islands in the South China Sea, the Filipino president has said that the Philippines may purchase fighter jets from a source other than United States. The country had asked for second-hand F-16s from the United States, but the jets’ maintenance costs could end up being too high because of their age.

While I won't rule out that this story is true and the Philippines are looking at fighters (or maybe an advanced combat capable LIFT) from somewhere other than the united States, I would think the Philippines' defence ties with (or reliance on) the United States may mean the President is angling for a better deal for the F-16s in this case. We'll see.