By Ava Patricia C. Avila
The Philippines has embarked on a surge in defence spending to modernise its military capability. The Department of National Defence also plans to revive its four decade old policy push towards defence industrial self-sufficiency.
The Philippines has embarked on a surge in defence spending under President Benigno Aquino III, who, in his first formal address in July 2010, vowed to modernise the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for both territorial defence and disaster relief missions.
In his first months as president, Aquino disbursed more than $395 million on AFP modernisation projects compared with an average of only US$51 million annually during the previous 15 years. Some 140 procurement projects valued at US$1.6 billion were being considered for funding by end July 2012. Having acquired decommissioned coast guard cutters from the US and basic trainer aircraft and combat utility helicopters from Italy and Poland, the Department of National Defence (DND) is looking to South Korea, Spain and France as possible suppliers.
This increase in defence spending from 2011 is a big leap from its previous poorly funded status, at just $1.2 billion per year. It is partly driven by the increased effort to eliminate domestic insurgency and in reaction to the threat of China’s military buildup. The increased expenditure is also related to the country’s robust economic growth, 6.4% in the first quarter of this year.
Revival Of Self-Reliant Defence Posture
The DND plans to revive the Self-Reliant Defence Posture (SRDP) as part of its Capability Upgrade Program, focused on securing indigenous production of weapon systems, platforms and armaments. The SRDP was initiated in 1974 by President Ferdinand Marcos to meet the immediate need for military hardware to support the AFP’s mission against the escalating secessionist movement in southern Philippines and the insurgency by the New People’s Army in the 1970s. The SRDP served as the necessary mandate to uphold the sovereignty of the state through non-dependent protection of the national territory. Its underlying mission was to develop a local defence industry to support material requirements of the AFP.
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