AFP modernization on track – Marcos

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos is optimistic the Armed Forces’ modernization program will be back on track as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The commander-in-chief said the government would prioritize training and the procurement of hardware needed to address the “present dangers” faced by the country.

“We have to address the present dangers that we are facing in the Philippines. I think that’s the guide for us as to what we will procure,” he told reporters after attending the Philippine Army Officer Candidate Course graduation rites in Taguig City on July 7.

“So, what we have scheduled was slightly delayed because of the pandemic, but now we are proceeding back to our established schedule. Hopefully, we’ll catch up in a year, maybe two, we will already be back to where we were supposed to be at the time before the pandemic,” Marcos said.

In May, the president said the government is working on Horizon 3 of the AFP modernization program.

Congress has earmarked P45 billion for the modernization of the military this year.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel earlier said the P45 billion is P6 billion higher than 2022’s P39 billion.

He said out of the P45 billion, P27.5 billion is in programmed appropriations and P17.5 billion in unprogrammed appropriations.

From December 2021 to June 2022, or in the last seven months of former president Duterte’s administration, the Department of National Defense signed P109 billion worth of acquisition contracts for various aircraft and vessels, including P28 billion for two anti-ship, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft corvettes from South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd.; P18.9 billion for three shore-based supersonic ramjet missile batteries from India’s BrahMos Aerospace; P32 billion for 32 Black Hawk choppers from Poland’s PZL Mielec and P30 billion for six long-range offshore patrol vessels, also from Hyundai.