Department of National Defense (DND) spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has “come a long way” with the support of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
“Dati, hindi tayo makapag-patrol [“Before, we cannot patrol] extensively and we really did not have enough equipment to cover most of the archipelago. But because of the support that the President has given to the Armed Forces, hindi lang iyong dinagdagan niya ang suweldo ng mga sundalo but also ‘yung acquisitions natin in terms of military hardware […He did not only increase the salaries of soldiers but also our acquisitions in terms of military hardware],” Andolong said.
Andolong was speaking in a virtual presser of the Duterte Legacy Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on Monday. The two-day summit, organized by the Presidential Communications Operations Office, reported the accomplishments of the Duterte administration in the past six years.
Under Republic Act 7898, or the AFP Modernization Act, and Republic Act 10348, or the Revised AFP Modernization Act, the AFP completed a total of 54 projects. There were 70 other AFP projects delivered under the Duterte administration.
The current AFP modernization has produced two missile frigates—the BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and the BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), deployed for patrol missions;and two AgustaWestland AW-159 “Wildcat” anti-submarine helicopters, among others. The FA-50PH light-interim fighter aircraft is also a product of the AFP modernization.
In addition to 15 S-70i “Balck Hawk” helicopters that are in service, 32 choppers are expected to arrive as part of aP32-billion (USD624-million) deal between the Philippines through DND and a Polish aircraft manufacturer..
The Duterte administration appropriated around P125 billion to acquire the assets..
Andolong added that the new equipment hastened the military’s operational tempo in surveilling, monitoring, and responding to events at sea. Compared with their predecessors, the sea vessels deployed to the Philippine West Sea could patrol longer and are better armed, Andolong said.
At the height of the pandemic, the military used its newly acquired helicopter and transport aircraft to move personal protective equipment to front-liners and vaccines to remote locations.
“In terms of the Armed Forces, malayo na rin ang narating natin [we have come a long way] but we’re not quite there yet,” Andolong said.
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