PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Monday underscored the importance of the Philippine Air Force’s patrols amid geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
“The days ahead will not be easy and will demand every ounce of our strength and our resilience,” he said at an event marking the Philippine Air Force’s 76th anniversary in Tarlac province.
“The winds of change signal geopolitical challenges around our region and other parts of the world that affect us,” he added.
The president said the Philippine Air Force’s maritime air patrol missions are needed to uphold the country’s territorial integrity and safeguard Philippine maritime zones.
Mr. Marcos Jr. said the government would continue modernizing the Armed Forces, including the Philippine Air Force.
The modernization program, which started in 2013 under the late President Benigno S.C. Aquino III, is now on its last phase and will run until 2028.
The military will buy multi-role fighters, frigates, radars, missile systems and rescue helicopters worth about P500 billion under this phase.
India, which is part of the United States-led quadrilateral security dialogue, in late June reiterated its offer to help the Philippines fund the defense modernization program.
It was floated anew during a meeting between Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo and Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar in New Delhi.
In a joint statement after the fifth India-Philippines Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation on June 29, the two officials said they “expressed a keen interest” in continuing to work together “including through the regular or upgraded official level interaction among defense agencies.”
They also cited India’s deployment of a defense attaché at its embassy in Manila, the consideration of India’s offer for a concessional credit line to meet the Philippines’ defense requirements, acquisition of naval assets and expansion of training and joint exercises on maritime security and disaster response.
The credit line is a soft loan provided to developing countries based on their national priorities.
Foreign policy experts have said the Philippines would likely pursue more security partnerships with the US and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region, citing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) failure to deter China’s aggression at sea.
Mr. Marcos, 65, assumed office in June last year amid tensions in the South China Sea and an intensifying power competition between Beijing and Washington.
The Philippine Coast Guard has pursued a transparency campaign that seeks to expose China’s aggression in Philippine waters in the South China Sea.
The Philippines’ sea dispute with China has gained the attention of the international community, with the US and its allies in the region coming in Manila’s defense.
China has also gained international backlash for harassing self-ruled Taiwan.
In February, Mr. Marcos gave Washington access to four military bases on top of the five existing sites under their 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
China has criticized the EDCA expansion, saying it’s an attempt by the US to meddle in the conflict between China and Taiwan, which Washington has vowed to defend in case of a Chinese invasion.
The Philippine government has repeatedly said the EDCA expansion is aimed at boosting the country’s defense capabilities. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza