EDITORIAL - Military upgrade

After two failed bids, the government is preparing for a negotiated purchase of 21 combat utility helicopters, with delivery expected within a few months. The 21 refurbished UH-1 helicopters or Hueys were originally meant for use in maintaining peace and order during the midterm elections, but the failed bids delayed the acquisition.

The Philippine Air Force has only 16 mission-capable Hueys and needs 51 more for credible capability to perform its numerous tasks, including rescue and relief efforts, reconnaissance, and support for ground and sea forces. The Hueys are no top-of-the-line aircraft, but they will have to do, considering the budget constraints of the Philippine military. For this purchase, the PAF has a budget of P1.26 billion.

The defense department is also reportedly finalizing the acquisition of 12 fighter jets worth P18 billion from South Korea. In the ongoing upgrading, the defense and military establishments must make sure all deals will be aboveboard, particularly the negotiated purchases. The Armed Forces of the Philippines has not yet fully recovered from corruption scandals mostly involving supply procurements and fund juggling, with several AFP generals implicated.

Such scandals not only erode public trust in the nation’s defenders but also derail the upgrading program, modest as it is, that the AFP badly needs. The upgrade is not a preparation for war; the nation is already too far behind most of its neighbors in defense capability and will surely be outgunned in case of armed conflict. But the upgrade is necessary if the country wants to be capable of protecting its territory from smugglers, poachers and other foreign intruders. The upgrade is needed if the nation wants to stop depending on others for its own defense. If the upgrade is tainted by scandal, the biggest losers will be the AFP itself, and the public it is sworn to protect.