Senator Loren Legarda has called on lawmakers to prioritize measures proposing urgent reforms in the country’s defense institutions, particularly the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Legarda, the first woman to chair the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation, said this during a Tuesday, February 24 hearing of the panel on the various proposals seeking to transform and strengthen the DND. The panel also sought to updates on the status of the AFP modernization program.

“Times are changing, and our defense institutions must be able to keep pace. The threats we face today are no longer confined to land and sea, but now include cyber intrusions, disinformation operations, and other ‘gray zone’ tactics that test our cohesion and national resolve,” Legarda said.

She said the harassment experienced by Filipino fisher folks in the West Philippine Sea and the shadowing of Philippine vessels signifies the fact that national security concerns “have entered everyday conversations among ordinary Filipinos.”

“We need a Department of National Defense that can respond to the future, with the professional civilian capability, legal authority, and funding tools to do its job well,” Legarda said.

“We also need an Armed Forces of the Philippines that is not burdened by outdated planning cycles and bureaucratic constraints, but is able to adapt swiftly to rapidly evolving technologies,” Legarda said.

The panel took up in particular Senate Bill Nos. 146, 384 and 1816 which seeks to transform and strengthen the DND by clarifying its powers, streamlining its organizational role, and institutionalizing systemic reforms.

Provisions include the progressive increase of defense spending to two (2) percent of GDP within five years, the expansion of senior leadership positions, and the creation of a dedicated Cyber Workforce. Strategic concerns included transparency in government-to- government procurement, safeguards for multi-year contracts, and accountability in defense real property management.

Aside from the DND transformation and AFP modernization measures, panel also discussed Senate Bill No. 1719, the Philippine Veterans’ Month Act, which seeks to declare April as Veterans’ Month.

The measure primarily seeks to institutionalize the remembrance while improving access to services and benefits for Philippine veterans and their families.