FACT CHECK: Air defense system from Israel already delivered to the Philippines

Claim: SPYDER, an advanced air defense system from Israel, is yet to be delivered to the Philippines, as of October 2, 2023.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: On October 2, 2023, the Facebook page “PH Voice” posted a video, claiming that the SPYDER Philippines Air Defense System from Israel would soon be delivered to the Philippines. 

As of writing, the video has gained 150,000 views, 9,300 reactions, and 496 comments.

What the video says: The video presented itself as breaking news, claiming that the SPYDER Philippines Air Defense System from Israel would soon be delivered to the Philippines. 

The post’s title reads: “CHINA NAPAKAMOT NA LANG! Advance Defense System Ng Israel IBABIYAHE NA Papunta Sa Pilipinas!” (China just scratched! Israel’s Advanced Defense System is en route to the Philippines!)

It said that this defense system includes a launcher, radar system, and command and control unit. 

The video also claimed that a Filipino based in Israel captured photos of the defense system while it was being transferred.

The facts: The SPYDER Philippines Air Defense System from Israel was already delivered to the Philippines. 

The SPYDER, which stands for Surface-to-Air Python and Derby mobile air-defense missiles, was accepted by the Philippine Air Force on November 8, 2022, at the Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was present during the turnover.

On September 23, 2019, the Department of National Defense entered into the GBADS contract with the Israel Ministry of Defense and Rafael Advanced Defense System. 

This air defense system is classified as a “medium-range air defense missile system.”

“The GBADS is projected not only to protect vital military installations and various ground and air assets but is also intended, when necessary, to secure our nation’s centers of gravity, critical government utilities and other essential facilities and assets of national importance,” Philippine Air Force spokesperson Colonel Ma. Consuelo Castillo said during the turnover in 2022. – James Patrick Cruz/Rappler.com

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