Gibo: AFP modernization may not be realized even under next administration

MANILA, Philippines - Administration party presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro admitted yesterday the modernization of the Armed Forces may not be realized even within the next administration due to limited state resources.

In a briefing with the Defense Press Corps, Teodoro said the limited resources of the military are being eaten up by the need to maintain internal security, leaving it with no choice but to undertake mere capability upgrades.

“Realistically speaking, we are only talking of capability upgrades. How can we modernize if maintaining internal security belongs to the military under Republic Act 8551. All our resources will be channeled to upgrades,” he said.

The former defense chief said RA 8551 must be amended in such a way that internal security should be assigned to the Philippine National Police to allow the Armed Forces of the Philippines to focus on modernization.

“Once we return the internal security to the police, then we can start the transition towards modernization. So honestly speaking, that (modernization) won’t happen if the military still handles internal security,” Teodoro said.

He, however, said the police should undergo more training if they would be asked to maintain internal security which would involve, among others, addressing insurgency.

“They (police) should catch up. The problem with the police is the anti-insurgency capabilities. We need to retrain these forces. There should be convergence of Special Action Force team leaders, who hould be included in the operations. These should be developed by the Philippine National Police,” Teodoro said.  

The AFP Modernization Act or RA 7898 took effect on Feb. 23, 1995 and provides for the modernization of the country’s armed forces over a 15-year period.

It required P50 billion for its first five years of implementation, P74.2 billion for the second five years, P37.6 billion in the third and P2.8 billion for the fourth. The funds will be sourced from the state annual budget.

It has been 15 years since the law was passed but critics have claimed that the military is not even close to what may be called a modern battle force. They noted for instance that some Air Force aircrafts are no longer serviceable while some patrol vessels are already obsolete. – With Jaime Laude