Philippine military welcomes fresh US aid for intelligence support

Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Benjamin Madrigal Jr. INQUIRER.NET PHOTO/CATHY MIRANDA

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday welcomed the new assistance from the United States to help the Philippines in its fight against terrorism.

“Of course any assistance, most especially in terms of technology or added training is a welcome activity,” AFP chief Benjamin Madrigal Jr. told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo.

But he said he has no direct involvement on the talks about the assistance.

A quarterly report from the US Department of Defense said the US Indo-Pacific Command is pouring in around $60 million in intelligence support to the Philippine military for 2019.

Based on the assessment of the US, the AFP still needs “extensive support” when it comes to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance because of its “limited capability” to gather information on a target.

The US is currently supporting the Philippine military to step up its intelligence capabilities through the Operation Pacific Eagle-Philippines. /kga