COVID-19 slowed down AFP's modernization project -Gapay

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Gilbert Gapay on Tuesday said the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down the military's modernization program.

At an online forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), Gapay admitted there has been a delay in the execution of the program. He said one of the reasons was more or less P17 billion of the military's modernization fund has been diverted to finance the COVID-19 response activities of the government.

"Primarily the budget, the procurement process and of course another factor is the recent COVID-19 pandemic wherein [the] government channeled some of the modernization funds to fund COVID-related activities of the government," Gapay said.

He also mentioned that the implementation of the modernization program could be faster if there is a Defense Procurement Law which can govern it. He said the AFP has already submitted to Congress a proposal regarding this.

"Most of the projects are in different stages of procurement. One of the challenges we have is that we don't have a Defense Procurement Law that would deal with the modernization program of the Armed Forces," Gapay said.

In the forum, the AFP chief also provided updates on the status of the implementation of the modernization project.

"For Horizon 1, we're almost done with it. We're just awaiting the deliveries to complete the remaining more or less 20 projects," he said.

"For Horizon 2, of the 94, only two are completed but the rest are still in the various stages of procurement and usually from the awarding of the contract or the winning bidder to deliver, usually it's two years," Gapay said.

He said the AFP needs more or less P480 billion to finance the modernization program for the next 18 years.—AOL, GMA News