The Philippines is still waiting for a formal proposal from the United States (US) for the “possible” foreign military sale of 20 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets, Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. said Wednesday.

“Naghihintay pa kami ng formal offer and proposal. Wala pa kaming natatanggap na formal offer and proposal hanggang sa ngayon (We are still waiting for a formal offer and proposal. We have received a formal offer and proposal until now),” Teodoro told reporters in an ambush interview in Mandaluyong City.

Earlier this month, the US State Department approved the potential sale of F-16 fighter jets, worth $5.58 billion, to the country, which was then welcomed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

“We're happy that the US Congress approved the sale of 20 F-16s to us, to the Philippines. But there is no final decision on this,” AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said in an interview last week.

“Hopefully, we will be able to expedite the acquisition of these assets because these are very important,” he added.

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the Philippine government has requested to buy 16 F-16C Block 70/72 fighter jets and four F-16D Block 70/72 aircraft.

It also noted that the required certification notifying Congress of this potential sale has already been submitted.

Brawner said acquiring multi-role fighter (MRF) jets is essential for strengthening the country's defense against external threats.

“Well, we're studying all of our options. But definitely, we want to buy multi-role fighters because we need multi-role fighters to defend our country, whether these are the F-16s or the Gripen or whatever other multi-role fighters—we’re just studying them,” he said.

These F-16 multi-role fighter jets, known for their agility, speed, and versatility, are capable of performing a wide range of missions, including air-to-air combat, air-to-ground attacks, and deep interdiction.