MANILA, Philippines — Aside from the $500 million in military aid from the United States, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is getting P50 billion for modernization next year, adding that more funds will be needed to achieve its full modernization.
The AFP’s budget is P10 billion more than this year, aimed at upgrading hardware and systems amid escalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
“This additional funding will enable the AFP to continue its efforts in acquiring advanced technologies, improving our capabilities in land, air, and sea operations, and addressing current security challenges,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said in a state-media report Sunday night.
The House of Representatives said that the proposal was included in the planned P419.3 billion budget for the defense sector and the military’s “ongoing modernization projects” next year.
“In the 2025 national budget, the sum of P50 billion in capital outlays has been earmarked to be used exclusively to support the funding requirements of the military’s ongoing modernization projects,” Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel said in a news release on Sunday.
Padilla also said that while the AFP was dedicated to using its resources “effectively” for national defense, more investment will be needed in the future to achieve full modernization.
“The AFP remains committed to utilizing these resources effectively to ensure the defense and security of our nation, but we acknowledge that further investment will be needed in the coming years to fully realize our modernization goals,” Padilla said.
The US government has pledged $500 million (P29.2 million) in military assistance to the Philippines in late July to help the country boost its territorial defense and regional security.
“We’re now allocating an additional $500 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines to boost security collaboration with our oldest treaty ally in this region,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told a joint news conference during their visit in the Philippines.
According to the US foreign secretary, the aid is described as “a once-in-a-generation investment” aimed at modernizing the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard.
