Lawmakers in the upper chamber held diverging opinions on Wednesday with respect to the $500-million military assistance the United States has committed to the Philippines. Some have cautiously welcomed it, while others hoped it included something that could benefit farmers and fisherfolk.
Senate President Francis Escudero said he believes this latest development will not rankle China amid the Philippines’ ongoing de-escalation policy related to addressing disputes in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“I do not think this will provoke or agitate China because strengthening one’s own military, like them and most countries, in order to keep the peace is the right and obligation of every country,” Escudero explained.
This is consistent with his remarks during the opening of the Senate regular session, highlighting that the Philippine government should aim to build and strengthen our military’s defense capabilities—with the help of our allies—”not to ignite conflict, but to secure the peace.”
Escudero noted that the latest foreign military financing marks a crucial step towards enhancing our national defense. He thanked the US for its substantial investment towards modernizing the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
But Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III criticized the US aid that includes military hardware, which he said will not benefit our farmers and fishermen. “Why doesn’t America make an unprecedented investment in our agricultural sector?” he asked.
Pimentel also questioned the quality of military hardware that the US often hands down to the Philippines, saying these are “surplus” items whose technology are already rendered obsolete or old.
Escudero, however, maintained the assistance serves as an indication that the Philippines and US are equal partners in maintaining peace, freedom of navigation and a rules-based approach towards addressing differences and disagreements with other nations.
Former Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri echoed Escudero’s statement, acknowledging the US assistance as a “big boost” to defending the Philippine territory and maintaining peace in the WPS and Indo-Pacific region.
Zubiri said the grand gesture should not be misconstrued as an agitation against any of the country’s neighbors, but as a move to secure peace in the Indo-Pacific region.
“The US is in a position to help, and the Philippines is in a position to receive it,” said Zubiri, who has long championed the modernization of the AFP, particularly as tensions began to rise in the WPS.
The funding announcement came from the visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III during a 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Jr. in Manila.
Blinken characterized the $500-million allocation as a major boost to security collaboration, underscoring the deep-rooted partnership between the US and the Philippines.
Austin called the investment a bold step toward modernizing the AFP and PCG, reflecting strong support from the incumbent Biden administration, the US Congress, and the American people.
