MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) modernization program needs sufficient and sustained funding to strengthen the country’s defense posture amid budget constraints and mounting external threats, particularly in the West Philippine Sea, Sen. JV Ejercito said.
“In the Senate, we have been consistent in supporting the AFP modernization, as well as in strengthening our Philippine Coast Guard…. We have been supplementing and adding budget for the AFP modernization in the past years,” Ejercito said in an interview with radio station dwIZ.
“In fact, the biggest budget ever for AFP modernization happened last year. I convinced — and it was approved by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, who was then our finance committee chair — P40 billion for the AFP modernization program under the unprogrammed appropriation,” he added.
The AFP Modernization Program fund is set to increase by P10 billion in the proposed 2027 national budget, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced in August.
The DBM said the proposed additional funding would increase the modernization program fund from P40 billion in 2026 to P50 billion in 2027, pursuant to the AFP Modernization Act, to enhance the military’s capabilities to protect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The proposed investments adhere to the Marcos administration’s directive to strengthen national security through capability enhancement while ensuring personnel support, the DBM said.
In addition, P73.67 billion will be allotted to cover the subsistence allowances of 583,130 military and uniformed personnel (MUP), 3 percent higher than the 2026 allocation.
Ejercito said the increase in funding for the AFP modernization program is not intended to match China’s military might.
“They are a superpower; we are just a third world country. We cannot match them. If we have 12 supersonic jet fighters, they probably have a thousand. If we have 30 missiles, what they probably have could be for a war. So it is not our intention to match China’s force,” he said.
“But we have to improve our self-defense… We want to establish a respectable, minimum credible defense posture… so that they cannot insult us just like what the Chinese Coast Guard and Navy are doing to our Philippine Coast Guard and Navy,” he added.
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The senator earlier slammed Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan over his remarks on Manila’s response to Beijing’s actions in the West Philippine Sea, calling the envoy arrogant and saying he should be replaced.
“He is very arrogant,” Ejercito said of Jing during the radio interview. “If I see him, I might elbow him in the face. He is so arrogant.”
Ejercito was reacting to Jing’s remarks, which the senator described as threatening and an attempt to intimidate the Philippines amid tensions between Manila and Beijing.
On Thursday, Jing said China could “easily win” a military conflict with the Philippines but stressed that Beijing would not resort to force to settle maritime disputes between the two countries.
Jing also warned that Manila faced a greater risk of confrontation if it did not restore direct military-to-military communications with Beijing, which Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. suspended about three years ago. /mcm