Bengaluru, Aug. 13 -- The strategic defence partnership between India and the Philippines has received a major boost with a key provision ensuring the newly proposed SMPP-ADFC joint venture corporation (JVC) in the Philippines would have direct access to long-term national defence contracts without public bidding. Under Sections 15 and 16 of the Philippines' Republic Act No. 12009, the Department of National Defence (DND) can directly award contracts to local enterprises like the planned JVC, bypassing the usual public bidding and technical prequalification processes. This legislative advantage positions the JVC as a long-term, in-country supplier for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, ensuring both strategic reliability and economic bene...