Manila, Feb. 17 -- Philippine Army (PA) commander Lt. Gen. Roy Galido on Monday said they already have the "appropriations" to acquire short-range air defense missile systems.

"It is already in our appropriations, meaning in the budget of the PA, which was listed last year, that the Army will acquire short-range air defense systems. And this is now in operation, meaning the mechanism to acquire it is being undertaken," he said in an interview.

This project is different from the Philippine Navy which is also acquiring similar weapons systems to protect its newly-acquired BrahMos cruise missile platforms.

Short-range air defense missile systems are needed to protect PA installations and other sensitive equipment and platforms against ene...