Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana is pushing for the procurement of multi-role jet fighters to boost the capabilities of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in defending the country's territorial airspace.

In a speech during the Sanay Datu Air Defense Exercise held at the Basa Air Base in Pampanga on Thursday, May 6, Lorenzana said it is high time to improve PAF's assets especially since it "has been neglected for quite some time" and "the situation in this part of the world is deteriorating."

"We are pushing for the acquisition of multi-role fighter aircraft as it is a critical capability for the defense of our country's territorial airspace from any form of threat and the enforcement of the Philippine Air Defense Identification Zone," Lorenzana said.

"With the muti-role fighter aircraft, we can explore the facets of air power. Likewise, it is also imperative to fast-track the establishment of a standardized tactical data link so that all our assets may be able to talk to each other," he added.

According to the DND chief, even President Duterte agreed with him that the PAF needs multi-role fighter planes.

"It was him who said it when we went here in Clark. We presented a mock-up, miniature . He said, 'Let's buy 12 of these' but we have no enough money so it did not push through," Lorenzana recalled.

On social media, Lorenzana beamed with pride as he shared his experience when he flew aboard an FA-50 training jet, which he described as "our newest lead-in fighter aircraft."

"I witnessed and experienced first-hand the readiness and dedication of the Philippine Air Force to defend our air space with platforms they have," he said.