The Philippines plans to spend a record high 25-billion pesos to upgrade its military amid South China Sea row. The planned amount includes funds for the purchase of frigates, surveillance planes, and radars to improve surveillance and detection in the disputed West Philippines Sea, as officials said on Monday.
The move to modernize the military is part of President Benigno Aquino II’s P3 trillion budget bill in 2016, his last year in office as president. Aquino is no longer eligible to run for another term.
According to Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad, the budget proposal is 15.1 percent higher than the current appropriation of 2.606 trillion pesos.
“In 2016, our proposal to Congress is P25 billion for the modernization program,” Abad told Reuters, saying this would be the highest-ever spending for military modernization in two decades.
Abad said the government’s proposed budget, including the defense spending plan, would be submitted to Congress next week after the President delivers his last State of the Nation Address on July 27.
A senior military general, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press, told Reuters the funds would be used to acquire two frigates, two twin-engine long range patrol aircraft and three aerial surveillance radars.
The rest of the money would be for annual amortization of 12 FA50 light fighters ordered from South Korea. Two planes are due for delivery this December. ($1 = 45.2900 Philippine pesos)
The Philippine Military will see a big change in the next five years according to military officials.
Aquino and other high-ranking military officials earlier said that the country will buy more defensive weapons like missile defense systems, more frigates, more fighter squadrons, and at least three submarines in the next 10 years.
/Sarah Gomez/
The post PHL to Spend in Record High P25B Military Budget to Bolster Defense appeared first on The Philippine Pride.