MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will continue “to address the present dangers” that the Philippines is facing.
At Fort Bonifacio, Marcos disclosed that the government is “coming to the end of the first phase” of the AFP modernization program, which comprises several stages.
“There are several phases to it. We are pretty much coming to the end of the first phase. We will then move on to the next schedule that we have agreed upon, especially from our supply. Where will we acquire the equipment [and] most importantly, actually, is the training,” he told reporters on Friday.
He said he instructed AFP officials to make sure the program is on schedule, especially the procurement of equipment and supplies, mentioning that the initial timetable has been pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have asked our commanders of the AFP and the service commanders, of course, the Chief of Staff na tingnan natin (to look into it) because we have to address the present dangers that we are facing in the Philippines,” Marcos said.
“Hopefully we will catch up and in a year, maybe two, we will already be back to where we were supposed to be at that time before the pandemic,” he added.
This is not the first time that the President stressed the significance of modernizing the Philippine military. In 2022, he promised to support the AFP modernization program, citing geopolitical tensions and challenges facing the country brought about by terrorism and calamities.
He even called the AFP modernization program as “crucial” to make the military “ready for all eventualities.”
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