The Senate will strive to increase the proposed budget of the Department of National Defense, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for next year to strengthen the country’s defense operations and as part of its efforts to defend the country amid the tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri made the promise on Wednesday, September 27, when the Senate Committee on Finance deliberated the proposed P229.9-billion budget of the DND for 2024.
The finance panel approved the budget of the DND and its attached agencies, including the revised AFP Modernization Program, “subject to possible budgetary adjustments” before submitting it for plenary deliberations and approval.
According to Zubiri, the Senate will discuss this budgetary adjustments during an executive session.
“You know my dear friends, courage can only take us so far. And that is why, if we really want to truly defend our country and our seas, we must support their budget,” Zubiri said during the budget hearing.
“We’re going to support, through the efforts of the Senate, an increase in their budget, especially in the defense spending,” the Senate leader added.
During the presentation of the DND’s budget proposal, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. noted a 12 percent increase in the P204.5 billion budget allocated to the agency under the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Next year’s budget of the DND would be divided among the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy, and the general headquarters, AFP and AFP-wide service support units.
The office of the DND Secretary will get P1.2 billion; while the remaining P7-billion will go to civilian bureaus including the Office of Civil Defense, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), and Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC).
But under the AFP Modernization Program, Teodoro said the agency initially requested for P115.1 million, but was only granted P50-million.
Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said there is a need to expedite in equipping the AFP with modern assets to protect the country’s territorial assets given the situation in the WPS.
Ejercito noted that the AFP modernization program in 2023 should already be in Horizon 3, but is still stuck in Horizon 2 or Horizon 1, which Teodoro confirmed.
According to Teodoro, about 10 percent of the project remains to be accomplished in Horizon 1. On the other hand, 51 out of 97 projects under Horizon 2 were already finished and some of the projects will be carried over to Horizon 3. Horizon 3 is slated for 2023 up to 2028.
“That’s why we really have to re-strategize it because the paradigms for Horizon 2 may not be valid anymore,” Teodoro told the panel.
At the same time, Zubiri vowed that the Senate will help the DND and the AFP get rid of “compromised” equipment, especially those that were donated by China, to also address cybersecurity issues.
“I realized that when I went to other agencies, we have equipment donated by those who are not our friends. They donated so much equipment,” Zubiri said.
The Senate leader said he noted the same occurrence with the Philippine National Police (PNP) which he witnessed during the PNP’s 125th anniversary.
“They showed me a slide computer system donated by those who are not our friends. So we need to replace those units,” he said.
“In the same reference with the AFP and DND, if you also need equipment to be replaced whatever existing equipment that you think is compromised, we shall ready to fund the same,” Zubiri said.
Zubiri said he will not allow the Philippines to be bullied “by the country in the north.”
“Because of that, we hear you loud and clear…We’re here to support you. You’ll see a drastic difference in your budget come this December,” Zubiri said told DND officials.