Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez expressed optimism that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), with the help of the United States, will be fully equipped against threats in the West Philippine Sea by the end of the Marcos administration.
Romualdez stressed that the Philippines is at its “best relationship” with the US right now, with the two nations “rebooting” their relationship at the helm of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Amid China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea, Romualdez said both the Republican and Democratic parties are in support of the Philippines, believing that the country’s armed forces should be strengthened to improve its defensive and deterrence capabilities.
Romualdez was referring to the bipartisan bill earlier introduced by two US senators, Republican Bill Hagerty and Democrat Tim Kaine, to provide the Philippines with $2.5 billion to boost its defenses against external threats.
According to the Filipino diplomat, this Foreign Military Financing grant assistance from the US aims to provide the Philippines $500 million a year in the next five fiscal years up to 2029.
Romualdez said that is coordinating with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. regarding the matter.
With billions worth of proposed defense modernization funds, Romualdez said the Philippines is seeking to prioritize its maritime forces, particularly the Navy and Coast Guard.
He said the country’s Air Force will also be given precedence to acquire more fighter aircraft.
“These will come little by little, but you’ll see all of them in the next three to five years,”
Asked if the US is seeking anything in return for this aid bill, Romualdez said, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.”
“With our current relationship with America, of course, they are seeking the EDCA and VFA. But the EDCA is the most important because that will help us, especially in climate resiliency and preparedness.”
On April 22, the Philippines and the United States officially opened the 39th iteration of their annual joint military exercise or Balikatan, which is the largest exercise they have conducted so far.
For the first time, the French Navy participated in the Balikatan with around 100 personnel.
From the US, around 11,000 personnel are participating, including 3,700 marines, 1,200 soldiers, 4,000 US Navy personnel, 400 airmen and Air National Guardsmen, as well as 750 US Special Operations troops.
The AFP, meanwhile, deployed 5,000 personnel, mainly from Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) and Western Command (WESCOM), to join the Balikatan activities.
Military forces of the Philippines and the US are conducting activities outside the territorial waters of the country—beyond 12 nautical miles or 22.22 kilometers off the west coast of Palawan—for the first time since the inception of Exercise Balikatan. The exercise will run until May 10.
Another vessel of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) meanwhile was spotted Sunday near the “Balikatan” multilateral maritime exercise (MME) area off Palawan waters.
The PLAN vessel (bow number 578) was spotted around 9 a.m. between seven and eight nautical miles of the MME flotilla, sailing in the northern part of Palawan as of this posting,
Western Command (Wescom) spokesperson Capt. Ariel Joseph Coloma said in an interview.
Coloma said the first PLAN vessel (bow number 793) spotted Saturday was no longer in the vicinity.
Filipino, American and French naval vessels conducted a search and rescue training with photo exercise Sunday.
The ships are the Philippine Navy’s offshore patrol vessel BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) and landing dock BRP Davao Del Sur (LD-602); USS Navy’s landing ship dock USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49); and French Navy’s Floreal-class frigate FS Vendémiaire (FFH-734).
Coloma said they were not bothered by the presence of the uninvited ship as there was no provocation.