I was one of the principal authors of RA 7898, or the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Modernization Act, which was enacted in 1995. This was amended in 2012 by RA 10349, or the Revised AFP Modernization Program. As one of the principal authors of this law, I am not satisfied by how it is currently being implemented, particularly with respect to the procurement of necessary technologies to advance our country’s military capabilities.
On Monday, the Senate probed the Philippine Navy’s controversial acquisition of two frigates, and the alleged intervention of Special Assistant to President Bong Go to the said deal. The Frigate Acquisition Program is one of the key components of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization program.
In the timeline of events relating to the FAP obtained by the Philippine News Agency, and through the senators’ inquiries during the hearing, it was revealed that the first stage of project bidding was conducted in December 2013. Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers was identified as the lowest bidder; however, it was declared to be non-compliant to the project’s financial requirements in March 2013. Therefore, the second lowest bidder, Korean-company, Hyundai Heavy Industries was declared by the Department of National Defense Bids and Awards Committee as the winning bidder in June 2016. The Notice of Award was sent by DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to Ki Yeong Sung of HHI, with a corresponding contract price of P15.7 billion. The contract agreement was signed in October 2016 by Secretary Lorenzana, Major Marlon Dayao, then Commodore and new Navy Chief, Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad, Kisun Chung (Executive Vice President, HHI), and Jae R. Kim (Senior Sales Officer, HHI).
In early 2017, the project was stalled in the Critical Design Review Stage because the parties could not agree on the supplier of the Combat Management System, which serves as the warship’s “brain”. HHI decided to install the CMS of fellow South Korean company, Hanwha Systems because as per the contract, it had the sole decision on what system will be installed in the frigate. However, Philippine Navy insisted on installing the CMS from Tacticos Thales of Netherlands because it is recognized as a “proven technology,” which is being used by 23 foreign countries in over 172 ships. Due to the delays in the project, and alleged insubordination to Secretary Lorenzana, then Navy chief Vice Admiral Ronald Mercado was relieved from his position.
It was revealed in the Senate hearing that an additional $14 million (P700 million) must be allocated should the DND push for the installation of the Tacticos Thales CMS to the two frigates.
I would recall that during the deliberations of the AFP modernization law, I insisted that the decision to buy should be a purely military decision. However, it seems that there have been some lapses in their acquisition process through the years. We should revisit the law and allow the Congress to participate in the deliberations. This way, we can ensure that thorough evaluation of systems and costs will be considered. After all, Congress will be approving the budget. We would be remiss in our duty if we were to hand over a hefty budget without proper justification from its proponents.
Another law of equal importance is House Bill No. 5027, or “An Act Prescribing a Mandatory Retirement Age for All Members of the AFP and the PNP,” which is pending in the House Committee on National Defense and Security. This bill seeks for the extension of the mandatory retirement age of all uniformed personnel of the AFP and the PNP from “56 years old or after completion of 30 years of active service”, to “60 years old, or after completion of 35 years of active service”. The extension of their terms of service will provide a longer term for Return on Investment for the government, which spent a substantial amount for the schooling and further training of these officials as they rose through the ranks. Furthermore, it provides fair opportunity for promotion and encourages competence among our uniformed personnel.
National security should have no price tag, as well as the lives of our soldiers. We should continue to support and strengthen our armed forces to ensure the security and safety of our people. Capacity-building and modernization of the armed forces play a vital role in national security.
Let us be inspired by the words of General George S. Patton, a senior officer of the US Army during the World War II. He said, “No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making some other poor dumb bastard die for his country.”