LAST month, President Aquino was quoted in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) anniversary as saying that the “rusty” days of Philippine warships were over.
Because of the “overflowing trust” that the Filipinos have in the local troops, the president said that modern warships will be acquired and deployed this year to better ensure the safety and security of the Filipino people.
At present, the Philippine Navy only has 134 naval craft of various tonnages and 12 military air crafts.
In line with the growing confidence of the international community in the Philippines, several countries are also offering ships to the Navy. Nations that have expressed their interest in offering frigates to the country were the United States, South Korea, Israel, Croatia, and Australia.
Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo shared with reporters over the weekend that “countries all over the world now believe that we are really serious in modernizing the armed forces.” The undersecretary also noted that nations who were hesitant about the capability of the military to upgrade are now convinced of the military’s efforts to upgrade.
A month after President Benigno Aquino III signed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization law, security officials and the rest of the Philippine Navy are waiting for the arrival of the three new AW-109 choppers and a Hamilton-class cutter, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) from the US, which are expected to arrive this year.
The Department of National Defense (DND) is also considering buying two more defense assets from Italy, but the officials have not agreed on anything yet.
The decision will depend on available funds and the outcome of a study that will demonstrate if the two Maestrale-class missile-firing warships will complement the Philippine army. The two warships are estimated at P11.7 billion. The Italian Navy vessel also has anti-aircraft, anti-ship, and anti-submarine features.
With such impressive modern defense assets coming their way, the DND has never been more confident when it comes to preparing for possible incoming threats.
Noting how the AFP described the previous standoff in Scarborough Shoal as a wake up call for modernization, DND Secretary Voltaire Gazmin was confident in saying that they “are now louder and clearer” in their “intent to upgrade the capability of our AFP to address its constitutional duty to secure the sovereignty of the state and the integrity of the national territory.”
Despite tension over territorial claims, security officials made clear that the intent on improving military forces has been the plan, even before the standoff incident happened.
For most countries, national security is a foremost priority. In the past, the Philippine government may have not taken the issue as seriously, given that there were no immediate and specific threats to the country’s security.
However, times and global politics have changed. Now that we are being recognized as a player in the economic field, it is our responsibility to keep up and cope with the demands of this ever-changing world. We cannot rely on more military-equipped nations forever. We need to learn to fend for ourselves (albeit our limited resources) the best way we can.
(AJPress)
