THE administration of President Duterte has transformed the military into a better-equipped defense force, and has solidified the Philippines’s claim and possession of disputed islands and other features in the northern and western waters of the country, according to the country’s top security official.
Rendering his assessment on the defense and security sector ahead of the Chief Executive’s final State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 26, 2021, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana gave the President a 90-percent rating “because he was able to add the equipment of our soldiers, and his directive to us to end the insurgency is good.”
The modernization of the military was actually set into motion during the term of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III through the three phases—Horizon 1, 2 and 3—the first phase of which began during the middle part of the late former President’s term in office. Aquino passed away on June 24, 2021, due to kidney failure.
“Great milestones were reached by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in enhancing its capacity and capability. It has upgraded its systems, updated its doctrines and acquired capital assets and vital equipment. Among our new assets are two missile-capable frigates, airplanes, helicopters and others,” Lorenzana said.
The new assets are now being used in territorial defense, including patrol, counterinsurgency operations, peacekeeping efforts and humanitarian assistance and disaster response activities.
‘Hitches’
WHILE the military has kept on procuring new assets and equipment, Lorenzana, however, acknowledged that the effort was undertaken with hitches as shown by the successive crashes of Air Force aircraft.
Early this year, a Huey helicopter crashed in Bukidnon, while last month, one of the delivered Black Hawk helicopters acquired from a Polish firm went down while on a night flight training in Tarlac. This month, a C-130 plane also crashed in Sulu, killing 49 soldiers.
“Although we still have a long way to go to achieve our desired level of defense posture, we can now probably say that the AFP is definitely stronger than it was before,” Lorenzana said.
STILL, the defense chief said they are looking to acquire more ships and aircraft under the Duterte administration.
According to Lorenzana, aside from the increased territorial patrol and military presence in the Kalayaan Island Group, West Philippine Sea and Batanes Group of Islands, the government has solidified its presence in most of these areas that were complemented by the construction and/or improvement of facilities.
“Emboldened by President Duterte’s order to defend what is rightfully ours without going to war and maintain the peace, we have consistently ascertained our sovereignty and sovereign rights,” Lorenzana said.
“The improvement of structures on Kalayaan and Mavulis Islands is continuing,” he added.
Markers and other projects
ON Mavulis in Itbayat, Batanes, a fishermen’s shelter complete with a fish-drying facility has been improved and energized, while a water desalination plant was installed and activated.
In other parts of the maritime waters in the country’s northern portion, sovereign markers, including buoys, have been installed to mark the boundaries of the country in the high seas.
In Kalayaan Municipality, a beaching ramp and a seaport have been constructed by the military and the Department of Transportation, while the Department of Energy energized it more than three weeks ago.
“We also intensified our deterrence activities and deployed more personnel in our borders, especially in West Philippine Sea, Sulu and Celebes seas. We now have more littoral monitoring stations and detachments in these strategic locations to monitor vessels transiting within Philippine waters,” Lorenzana said.
“Our coordination and engagements with countries within and outside the region were also successful. Because of the trilateral cooperation arrangement with Indonesia and Malaysia, we hasten the decrease of incidents of kidnap for ransom and other crimes in the waters off Sulu,” he added.
Images courtesy of Presidential Communications Operations Office via AP and AP/Bullit Marquez
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