DND urged to study proposal to restructure AFP with more maritime forces
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday called on the Department of National Defense to look into a proposal to increase the military's maritime forces.
She said this amid Beijing's continued incursions in the West Philippine Sea despite Manila's numerous diplomatic protests and the resumption of bilateral talks between the two.
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Citing Dr. Clarita Carlos, former National Defense College of the Philippines president, Hontiveros said the Armed Forces of the Philippines is structured to defend a continental country rather than an archipelagic one.
The senator noted, citing Carlos, that the AFP is 71% army, 18% navy, with nearly half serving as marines, and 11% Air Force. Carlos proposed altering this structure to better serve the country's interests in the maritime domain.
Hontiveros also flagged that the Philippine Marine Corps gets a "meager allocation for its equipment."
"At a time when China is relentless in positioning its ships, building militarized islands, and expelling our own fishermen, we cannot be without a shield," she said in Filipino.
"We have filed diplomatic protests several times but we have not been listened to. A stronger maritime defense force sends China a clear message: we will not back down."
Tensions over the West Philippine Sea, the part of the South China Sea within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone, flared anew earlier this year when some 220 Chinese ships were spotted swarming Julian Felipe Reef.
The Chinese vessels have dispersed from the reef but are still within the Philippine EEZ, according to a report from Simularity which is a US-based geospatial imagery and data analysis company.
“China is a huge threat to our country. Let's not deny it," Hontiveros said in Filipino. "Our national security, national interest, and national dignity are all at stake."
— with reports from Patricia Lourdes Viray
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