ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/07 May) – The Aquino government should weather domestic politics, as well as strengthen its defense partnership with other Asian countries aside from the US to effectively upgrade the nation’s weak external forces to counter China’s aggressiveness amid tensions in the South China Sea, a US-based think-tank said in its security strategy paper released last Thursday.
Washington-based Center for a New American Security (CNAS), pointed out in its paper titled “Defending the Philippines: Military Modernization and the Challenges Ahead,” that the Philippines is in better position having a President that is willing to spend more domestic money to modernize its armed forces.
The study cited the Philippine government’s increasing spending on its military.
“Philippine Department of National Defense (DND) figures from January 2011 showed that during his first months in office, Aquino spent more than $395 million on Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization compared with the average of $51 million annually during the previous 15 years. By one early 2011 DND estimate, the AFP’s modernization program will cost slightly less than $1 billion over the course of Aquino’s six-year term,” it said.
However, this amount “pales in comparison to China’s 2012 official military budget of more than $100 billion, or even the generous modernization programs pursued by most of Manila’s neighbors,” it added.
“Unforeseen challenges could trump Aquino’s commitment to defense modernization,” the study said, citing that Manila failed to fully upgrade the AFP to the tune of $7.7 billion over 15 years due to the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
“Aquino’s current plan may be much more realistic but will still require leadership to survive the many conflicting demands of Manila’s patronage-driven politics. If he succeeds, Aquino will improve the AFP’s ability to protect Philippine sovereignty,” said the study written by CNAS fellow Richard D. Fisher Jr.
The study was released amid the renewed tension in the disputed Spratlys Islands between the Philippines and China.
Tension aggravated when the Chinese navy stopped the Philippine navy from arresting Chinese fishermen in the disputed Scarborough Shoal last month that led to the ongoing naval standoff.
Reports said the Chinese fishermen were seen poaching at the shoal.
Although both parties exercised restraints neither of the them backed down from their respective claims and both vowed to defend their sovereignty.
Fisher also cited the need for other Asian countries such as Japan and South Korea to help the Philippines in its defense capabilities aside from the US.
“Given the economic and political stakes in ensuring that al
l East Asian countries maintain unimpeded access to the sea lanes near the Philippines, both those nations and the United States now share a real interest in the success of AFP modernization,” he said.
Japan and South Korea, both US allies, also have their respective sea border problems with China.
Fisher said Seoul has already provided corvettes and training aircraft to the AFP, and Japan has excess ships that it can offer and also has one of the most powerful naval countermine capabilities in Asia.
President Benigno S. Aquino III has earlier said that the government hopes to finalize the purchasing agreement with the US to have a squadron of F-16 fighter jets within his term.
Last year, the government was able to buy a $14-million Hamilton-class U.S. Coast Guard frigate, the largest navy ship so far in the Philippines. It said two more are arriving.
Defense officials have earlier said that the upgrading of the AFP does not solely mean a response to China’s aggressiveness in the Spratlys but is rather a long overdue plan.
Despite the military buildup, the Philippine government has ruled out waging war over the Spratlys row.
In his recent meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Foreign Affairs secretary Albert F.
del Rosario stressed the importance of a peaceful settlement of disputes in relations between states.
“We believe in highlighting the importance of instruments on the peaceful settlement of disputes,” Del Rosario was quoted in a statement as telling Ban on Friday.
During his last week’s meeting in the US, Del Rosario pointed out that that its alliance with US “does not aim to confront or contain anyone.”
“What the Philippines is trying to do is to build a rules-based environment and create the conditions that will shape the behavior of all parties towards the peaceful resolution of disputes.”
Philippine and American troops recently conducted joint military exercises near the disputed territory.
China has earlier expressed displeasure over the timing and the site of the joint military exercises dubbed Balikatan. (Darwin Wally T. Wee/MindaNews)
