Second of three parts
OF the P331 billion allocated for the implementation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program, Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin said only P58.4 billion had been released.
“It must be mentioned that of this amount, P31.6 billion was provided during the Aquino administration,” Gazmin said.
Various factors and the confluence of events in the West Philippine Sea resketched the country’s overall defense horizon and its current security strategy, which emphasized the need for the military to upgrade its capability. The modernization of the military was made more urgent by China’s expansive maritime claims in the West Philippine Sea, which threaten Philippine sovereignty and integrity.
With this external threat, which was described by military planners and strategists as no longer looming but “real and immediate,” the government revised its existing defense plan by signing the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) with the United States and fast-tracking the military’s
acquisition program.
Beyond its signing on April 28 last year, the Edca became the country’s temporary, but primary defense plan, or foremost territorial defense strategy, while it was beefing up the armaments of the Philippine military.
For the Americans, the agreement, which was signed by Gazmin and US Ambassador Philip Goldberg, forms part of a bigger American security strategy in the Asia Pacific.
Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, head of the panel that negotiated the Edca, said the agreement would ensure security for the Philippines, amid the geopolitical challenges of the 21st century.
Batino said the agreement will help build up the capability of the military and support efforts in dealing with “aggressive expansionist acts” in the West Philippine Sea.
He said the agreement will strengthen and reinforce the capabilities of the AFP in maritime security, maritime domain awareness and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR).
“The Philippines faces serious challenges: To our sovereignty and sovereign rights, developments in the region point to an increasingly aggressive acts; to human safety and security, the frequency and severity of natural disasters point to the need to anticipate, address or mitigate their real impact on people and communities,” Batino said.
“In these very fluid times, we are forced to take a long and hard look at what we can do as one government to respond to the challenges before us,” he added.
The rotating US forces and their equipment are initially eyed to be hosted in facilities that will be constructed at military camps and naval bases, such as Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Fort San Felipe in Zambales and Hulugan Bay in Palawan.
But Batino was quick to say that these areas or bases are not final yet, and there would be no permanent bases for the pivoting US forces.
“With prepositioned equipment and materiel, our soldiers will be able to train and develop their capabilities even before the Philippine government acquires equipment, boosting the speed of our capacity-building efforts for men and women in uniform,” he said. The prepositioned HADR equipment of the US should allow the government to respond more rapidly in times of natural disasters and other crises.
The buildings and other permanent structures that will be constructed for the use of the visiting forces “will be automatically owned by the government and, as such, will greatly hasten the development of Philippine military facilities.”
Sadly, the Edca was questioned by some groups before the Supreme Cour,t which is now undergoing constitutional scrutiny.
The Edca is the immediate defense plan or strategy for the country’s territorial defense, while the modernization of the AFP is the long-term plan for achieving “a credible defense posture.”
Military officials said the Edca would give the AFP time to acquire much-needed equipment, while the agreement with the US should safeguard the country’s territory or scare off “intruders.”
Gazmin, and even Foreign Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, said the presence of rotating US troops should be a “stabilizing factor” even in the West Philippine Sea. Their presence is deemed more crucial with the reclamation activities being undertaken by China.
“Let us not forget that the Visiting Forces Agreement is a component of our overall defense strategy and its abrogation now will have an adverse effect on the minimum credible defense posture that we are working hard to achieve,”Gazmin said.
Big-ticket acquisitions
The rotation of US forces should happen while the military is desperately working to build up its capabilities by acquiring assets and equipment, which are necessary to secure and guard its interests in the West Philippine Sea and for its territorial defense in general.
Gazmin disclosed that 33 big-ticket projects have been lined up for implementation until 2017, with the projects and procurement amounting to over P90.86 billion. This includes the procurement of 12 units of surface attack lead-in fighter aircraft and eight units of combat-utility helicopters with a total contract price of P23.6 billion.
“To date, total payment made for these two projects amounted to P9.74 billion. The other big-ticket items included in the Revised AFP Modernization Program are air-defense surveillance radar system, long-range patrol aircraft, close-air support aircraft, C-130 Tango aircraft, anti-submarine warfare helicopters, frigates, amphibious assault vehicles, and various items of communication equipment and night-fighting systems,” Gazmin said.
To be continued