AFP told to account for P63-B modernization fund

SENATOR Francis Escudero wants the military to account for almost P63 billion it has received since 2002 to modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

“Money for the modernization program has been in the AFP’s hands beginning 2002. We want to know how it was spent, where it was spent. We want to know what their procurement did to the force, how the military condition has changed,” Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, said in a statement on Wednesday.

The senator made the statement as the Senate began its probe this Wednesday morning into the allegedly questionable acquisitions of equipment and weapons system under the modernization program. He was among those who initiated the investigation by the Senate blue ribbon committee which started in an open public hearing but ended in an executive session on the request of Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

BACKSTORY: Senate body holds executive session to discuss AFP modernization

Escudero noted that from 2002 to 2013, a total of P63.38 billion has been released to the AFP. Out of this figure, he said, P41.832 billion of the funds came from the General Appropriations; P12.958 billion from the remittances from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA); P1 billion from the Malampaya fund; P6.59 billion from the Department of Energy (DOE); P909.98 million from interest income; and PP92.438 million from government arsenal.

“Why is our military still in a sorry state after P63 billion? With this money, we get to ask: is the Filipino soldier better off than before? Are our soldiers better equipped? Are they better trained? Is their inherent bravery boosted by more confidence in fighting with the purchased arsenals? The answers will show us where this modernization plan can and will take us,” he said.

The senator said the funds appropriated for the modernization program “may pale in comparison to the military giants of our neighboring countries but wise, judicious and efficient spending will go a long way in strengthening our military force.”

“We are no Hercules compared to the formidable forces of China or Japan, so we better equip our military with the right arsenal. There is a dream sequence and there is reality. We want to see how they chose between these two in terms of spending,” he said.

Escudero said he asked Gazmin for a full accounting report on the use of the modernization fund and the latter promised to provide it to the committee in its next hearing. AC

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