Defense budget daragdagan; Kamara suportado ang kampanya sa West Philippine Sea
MANILA, Philippines – Kinumpira ni House Speaker Martin Romualdez nitong Biyernes na daragdagan ng kongreso ang defense budget para sa 2024 upang makatulong sa layunin ng Malacanang na bantayan ang teritoryo ng Pilipinas sa West Philippine Sea.
Binigyang-diin ni Romualdez ang buong suporta ng Kamara sa polisiya ng Malacanang sa West Philippine Sea, habang kinundena ng kongresista ang patuloy na panghihimasok ng China sa karagatan ng Pilipinas.
Binitiwan ng mambabatas ang pahayag Biyernes nang gabi sa “The Defense Forum” ng National Defense College of the Philippines Alumni Association at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, kung saan si Romualdez ang keynote speaker.
“Under the proposed 2024 budget, the allocation for the defense sector is P282.7 billion or 21.6% more compared to the P203.4 billion allocation under the 2023 budget. This fund will support the ‘Land, Air, and Naval Forces Defense Programs’ totaling P188.5 billion, as well as the UN Peacekeeping Mission, among others, to ensure domestic security,” ani Romualdez.
“This amount does not include P1.23 billion worth of confidential and intelligence funds, which the House of Representatives realigned to the frontline agencies in charge of ensuring national security and protecting the country's territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea,” dagdag pa niya.
Ayon kay Romualdez, ang naturang alokasiyon ay kinabibilangan ng P300 million sa National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, P100 million sa National Security Council (NSC), P200 million sa Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) para sa intelligence activities and ammunition, at P381.3 million sa the Department of Transportation (DOTr) para sa development o expansion ng Pag-Asa Island Airport.
Ang pahayag ng House Speaker ay kasabay ng patuloy na panghaharas ng mga barko ng China sa mga Pilipinong marino sa West Philippine Sea, kabilang na ang paggamit ng water cannons sa Filipino resupply boats sa Ayungin Shoal.
“Make no mistake about it. The House of Representatives fully supports the position of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that we should continue to assert our sovereignty in the West Philippine Seas and that we should defend every inch of our territory,” sabi ni Romualdez.
“We have embarked on a strategic journey, not only to modernize our military assets but also to ensure that our personnel are equipped with the fortitude of skill and the assurance of a nation’s unwavering support."
Sa kaniyang talumpati, pinuri din ni Romualdez ang “brave men and women in uniform” na itinuturing niyang “sentinels of sovereignty, safeguarding our nation’s territory against the ceaseless tides of adversity.”
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