By Florante S. Solmerin
THE Palace said Thursday the government is continuing to improve the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines after a group of former American soldiers ranked it the sixth worst army in the world.
“Since the beginning, the Aquino administration has recognized the importance of modernizing the equipment of the Armed Forces. President [Benigno] Aquino [III] mentioned in his last State of the Nation Address that under the present administration, there are a total of 56 projects under the AFP Modernization Program and this (sic) has been completed, compared to 45 projects done under the past administration,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.
Coloma said last month, President Aquino approved items that would be included in the new batch of projects, including several big-ticket items.
These include two navy frigates worth P18 billion, three air surveillance radar systems worth P2.68 billion, six close-air support aircraft worth P4.97 billion, two units of long-range patrol aircraft worth P5.98 billion, multipurpose attack craft worth P864.32 million, a night fighting system worth P1.116 billion, two C-130 aircraft worth P1.6 billion, two naval helicopters worth P5.4 billion, and lead-in fighter trainer jet ammunition worth P4.47 billion.
Coloma said the government is also awaiting the delivery of a squadron—or a dozen fighter jets from Korea.
“We can see here the concrete manifestation of the government to work on the modernization program of the Armed Forces. And this is proven by the fact that it is working on the acquisition of the most modern equipment for the Army, Navy And Air Force,” said Coloma.
Earlier this week, a group of former American servicemen calling themselves “We Are The Mighty” said President Aquino vowed to upgrade the country’s aging navy and air force to the tune of $1.7 billion and the Congress has passed a bill appropriating $2 billion for the effort, “but that was about it.”
“Despite the Chinese military buildup in the region, with aggressive moves by the Chinese to claim areas and build islands close to the Philippines, the Philippines’ Naval and Air Forces are still nearly 60 years old and its ships are old US Coast Guard cutters,” the article said.
The Philippines was ranked behind Costa Rica, Iraq, North Korea, Eritrea, and Nigeria. Seventh on the list was Tajikistan, followed by Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan.
An internal Defense Department study obtained by The Standard showed that the “minimum credible defense” promised by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin in 2010 remains a paper tiger, slowed down by corruption in the procurement process.
Of the total budget of P90.86 billion allotted to modernize the AFP, the DND spent P13.41 billion in 2014, and was set to spend P31.11 billion in 2015. In 2016, it will spend P27.75 billion and in 2017, P18.59 billion.
The P90.86 billion budget is on top of P63 billion in modernization funds released on a staggered basis from 2002 to 2013, causing Senator Francis Escudero to demand a full accounting of where the funds went, and why the AFP is still in a sorry state.
Of the P63 billion released between 2002 and 2013, P41.83 billion came from general appropriations; P12.96 billion came from remittances by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority; P1 billion came from the Malampaya Fund; P6.59 billion came from the Department of Energy; and P909.98 million was from interest income.
A number of negotiated deals on bit-ticket purchases have been weighed down by allegations of corruption, such as the P1.2-billion deal to buy 21 refurbished UH1H helicopters that has since been scrubbed.
