MANILA – The Department of National Defense recategorized its purchase of submarines to become part of projects to be carried out over the next four years.
That the Defense department is buying submarines early is a “step in the right direction,” Sen. Richard Gordon said.
The department has announced that the purchase of submarines as part of its military capability upgrade was moved from the shopping list under Horizon 3 to Horizon 2.
Horizon 2 pertains to projects to be implemented from 2018 to 2022 while Horizon 3 will run from 2023 to 2028.
“We are one of four countries in Asia that do not have submarines. If the report about the purchase is true, I endorse and I am elated by it. We should go by the way of the Japanese. During the Meiji Restoration, their motto was ‘enrich the nation, strengthen the military,’” said Gordon.
The lawmaker has long pushed to strengthen the Armed Forces in view of the range of external and internal challenges facing the country.
“Matagal ko nang sinasabi na dapat itaas ang antas ng kagamitan ng ating Hukbong Pandagat, Hukbong Panghimpapawid at ng buong Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas para may laban naman tayo,” said Gordon.
“Para katulad ng Finland, kahit papaano nirerespeto ng Russia dahil nilabanan sila in the 1930s,” he added. “Kung umangan tayo ng barko, umangan tayo ng eroplano nila, e tiklop tayo. Dapat kahit papaano meron tayong panabla.”
Unlike China, Japan, Singapore, Korea, and Indonesia, the Philippines has low military expenditure, claimed Gordon.
“We only spent around 1 percent of our gross domestic product on defense spending, which is behind the Southeast Asian average of around 2 percent of the GDP,” he explained.
“It is really a positive development that [the Defense department] had the fifth largest budget in this year’s budget General Appropriations Act,” said Gordon. “I also insisted last year on allocating a portion of the proceeds from TRAIN for the [Armed Forces] modernization program.”/PN
