Leni wants Philippines to become a maritime power, says ex-Navy exec

Vice President Leni Robredo wants the Philippines to become a "maritime power" if she wins the presidency and becomes the military's commander in chief, a retired rear admiral said at a forum of the 1Sambayan coalition.

Rommel Ong, a former vice commander of the Navy and a member of Robredo's security team, said the vice president wanted the Armed Forces to focus its capabilities in the country's waters.

“Gusto niya na ang Pilipinas ay maging maritime power... Kaakibat po rito ay ang pagbabago ng pananaw o pag-iisip kung paano natin huhubugin ang sandatahang lakas,” Ong said.

[She wants us to be a maritime power and this would mean refocusing our efforts in molding our military.]

"She has noted that the country’s Armed Forces “focus[ed] mainly on land. Ito po ay disconnected sa situation natin na tayo po ay isang archipelago, isang bansa na maraming isla at malawak ang dagat na kailangan protektahan," he added.

"Ang epekto po niyan ay ang appreciation natin sa West Philippine Sea bilang isang security problem … medyo kulang," Ong said.

(Being focused on land is disconnected from our situation. We are an archipelago, and our country has lots of islands and vast seas that we need to protect. By being land centric, our appreciation of the West Philippines Sea [being subject to China's aggression] as security problem is somehow lacking.)

Ong said Robredo and her security team would prioritize the advancement of support industries for the country’s merchant marine fleet.

He said the Department of National Defense admitted in 2019 that the that the Philippines had a “very small capability to react” to intrusions in its territorial waters. —NB, GMA News