Senator Imee Marcos on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 reiterated her call for Filipinos to exercise prudence in making rhetorics about the country’s stand on the West Philippine Sea saying the country cannot wage a war empty-handed.
“The Philippines cannot wage a war empty-handed, no matter the amount of posturing and rhetoric,” Marcos stressed as the nation commemorates the 82nd anniversary of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor).
"Aanhin ang katapangan kung walang balang panlaban (What's the use of bravery if we have no means to fight)?"
“We cannot even ensure the integrity of our weapons and ammunitions production lines, yet some of us are engaged in warmongering,” the senator further said.
Marcos pointed out that only a meaningful dialogue with China can prevent the escalating tension between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) from further deteriorating.
“No weapons system, not even the most advanced ones, can stop a war — if that is what some of us want to achieve with all the noise. Constant dialogue, not only on the level of our foreign affairs department, coast guard, and defense establishment, but also the legislature and the president himself — the architect of our foreign policy and commander-in-chief of our armed forces — is key to overcoming the quagmire we are in,” she stressed.
Marcos reiterated the need for the government to ramp up its defense capabilities by increasing its stock of basic weapons and ammunition, noting the production shortfall in 2023 despite increased spending by 420 percent.
Based on the Commission on Audit’s (COA) report, the lawmaker pointed out that the Government Arsenal (GA) failed to produce enough small arms and ammunition (SAA) despite the spending almost at P455 million from its 2023 budget for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOEE), compared to only P87.4-million in 2022.
“This is sad news about basic weapons for our soldiers and policemen. Money is being wasted. Will the lives of our men in uniform be wasted as well?" she pointed out.
Thus, she said, the government needs to revive the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) program, initiated by her father—the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.—which has long been overdue.
The SRDP program is aimed at weaning the country off dependence on foreign suppliers for firearms and related equipment, she stressed.
“Filipinos do not suffer from a lack of talent, skills or expertise to produce our own defensive weapons, but suffer from gross government neglect and a lack of appreciation for the importance of and wisdom in relying on ourselves for our defense,” said Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Marcos also stressed the need to take up the country’s problems on the WPS before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Nations, stepping up from the usual filing of note verbale whenever an incident occurs in the disputed waters.
“I’ve said this before, and I’ll say this again, we must take this up with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and the United Nations. We cannot be doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result each time,” she reiterated.