PNoy: PHL not shifting to a more militaristic position on sea row with China

Aquino boasted of his administration's P40-billion AFP modernization program. The government has so far acquired 15 helicopters and two ships for the military, namely the BRP Gregorio del Pilar and BRP Ramon Alcaraz.

 

The President said these procurements were in line with the government's efforts to build a minimum credible defense for the Philippines, and to minimize the risk of injuries for uniformed men and women in the field.

 

"While nothing government can provide will truly ever match the sacrifices they have made in our country’s name, the very least we can do is throw our full support behind them—to make certain that those who risk their lives for the country are likewise taken care of by their country," he said.

 

The government is also expecting new rifles, fighter trainer jets, helicopters and frigates for the military by next year, Aquino added.

 

Territorial row

 

The President made these statements weeks after China released a new map expanding its claims over the South China Sea. The Philippines has rejected this map, saying it demonstrates Beijing's expansionist ambition in the region. 

 

For the past years, China and the Philippines have been engaged in a territorial dispute over resource-rich parts of the South China Sea, which Manila calls the "West Philippine Sea."

 

The Philippines claims that the West Philippine Sea is part of its exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

 

China, meanwhile, is asserting its historical claim over the area through the so-called "nine-dash line."

 

The Philippines has already brought its territorial dispute with China before the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. Beijing, however, has rejected the arbitration proceedings, repeatedly insisting on bilateral talks to settle to issue. 

'Urgent' defense requirements

 

During the same event, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the Philippines has the "urgent" need to meet requirements on defense, security, peace and order, disaster readiness, and crisis management.

 

The Cabinet official also called the country " a potential growth market for international defense."

 

He also reiterated the Philippines' goal of "upgrading and ultimately modernizing" the AFP, the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Office of Civil Defense.

 

The conference was meant to allow international exhibitors to showcase equipment for counterterrorism, defense and disaster relief. — RSJ, GMA News