Senator Robinhood Padilla is pushing for the acquisition of Multi-Purpose Amphibious Aircraft (MPAA) for the Philippine Navy, in a bid to avoid a repeat of the incidents between the Philippines and China during the former's resupply missions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

In his privilege speech during the Senate session Tuesday, Dec. 12, Padilla said the MPAAs could greatly help in other missions including Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR), Search and Rescue (SAR) at sea, and surveillance.

"Makakatulong po ang MPAA sa mas mabilis na pagsasagawa ng supply mission na hindi na mangangailangan pa ng escort at hindi mabibinbin sakaling may mga humarang sa ating mga watercrafts (MPAAs can greatly help in supply missions. They do not need escorts and they cannot be blocked by watercraft maneuvers)," he said.

He noted that amphibious aircraft can take off and land on either the ground or on water.

Padilla pointed out that while a current resupply mission using watercraft may take a day and a half to reach BRP Sierra Madre, the MPAA can do this in five to eight hours.

"Malaki po ang magiging tulong ng aircraft na ito sa pagpapatrolya hindi lamang sa Dagat Kanluran ng Pilipinas, kundi pati na rin sa iba’t-ibang isla ng ating bansa. Ito po ay magiging mabisa rin sa pagsuporta sa Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR), Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA), Search and Rescue (SAR) sa karagatan, Maritime Air Surveillance (MAS), Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), at iba pang katulad na misyon (Such aircraft can greatly help in patrolling not just the West Philippine Sea but also other islands in our archipelago. The MPAA can also help in humanitarian assistance and disaster response, rapid damage assessment and needs analysis, search and rescue at sea, maritime air surveillance, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, and similar missions)," he said.

Also, Padilla cited the need to address constant changes in the needs of national defense due to new challenges in security.

"Dahilan po sa ganap na pangangailangang ito, hinihiling po natin na mabigyan ng prayoridad ang pagbili ng MPAA para sa ating Philippine Navy (Because of such needs, we seek priority for the acquisition of MPAAs for our Philippine Navy)," he said.

Recently, the China Coast Guard (CCG) ship fired its water cannon at Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels that were delivering supplies to fisherfolk communities in Bajo de Masinloc.