Hontiveros salutes Palces: Sen. Risa Hontiveros poses questions to Commodore Antonio Palces during the former’s deliberation of nomination as rear admiral by the Commission on Appointments’ Committee on National Defense, May 26, 2021. (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is developing “new doctrines” in case of a possible biological or chemical warfare and other weapons of mass destruction, an official disclosed on Wednesday.
The possibility that the pandemic and similar events may be used as a weapon to wage war was raised by opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros when the Commission on Appointment’s committee on national defense deliberated on the appointments of 50 military officials.
Hontiveros had asked the nominee, Commodore Antonio Palces, AFP’s deputy chief of staff for education, training and doctrines, if the AFP already revised its doctrine on chemical, biological, or radiological warfare.
“I’m glad to inform the members of the committee that the armed forces, being proactive, is now developing new doctrines in the event that, as what the good senator mentioned earlier, it will be used as a weapon of mass destruction,” Palces said.
“And not only that, ma’am. Currently we are developing our doctrines as far as the ‘new normal’ is concerned. As far as training is concern, education and all the things your armed forces is supposed to do in any eventuality. Yes, ma’am we have doctrines,” he added.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a video was shown in a Senate hearing claiming that the virus that originated in China could be part of the biowarfare being waged against Beijing.
But Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., who was in that hearing in February last year, described it as the “craziest video I have ever seen.”