Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Jr. on Monday expressed hope that the Senate would restore the cuts by the House Appropriations committee in the Department of National Defense (DND) budget.

The House Appropriations panel previously slashed the DND’s proposed budget for 2024 from their requested P500 billion to P229 billion.

The lower chamber also cut down their allocation for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization program from their requested P115 billion to P50 billion.

Asked if he was confident that the Senate would increase the DND’s budget, Teodoro responded: “It would be discourteous of me to be confident.”

“I hope and feel that our legislators will understand our plight and that they will try their level best to make things better for the Defense establishment, together with our farmers, energy, security, social services, education, and the like,” he added.

Teodoro said this in an ambush interview on the sidelines of the christening and commissioning of the two Alvarez Class Patrol Vessels (ACPV), BRP Ladislao Diwa and BRP Valentin Diaz.

These were donated by the US government under its Excess Defense Article Program at the Philippine Navy headquarters.

“We need to spend more on these ships every year so we can operate them properly. Because if we don’t, we can’t optimize our usage of these,” he said, referring to the newly acquired ships of the Philippine Navy.

He further stressed the need for true modernization of equipment in the defense sector, especially amid the tensions the country has with China in the West Philippine Sea.

“In our re-horizoning and re-strategization, we need to have a modernization that isn’t abysmal. It needs to be interoperable and it needs to make a difference in our credible posture. It should not be just for show. This is important because if we spend on separate systems, the total cost would be high,” Teodoro said.

“Even if it’s expensive, we could face all kinds of threats, including the peaceful protection of sovereign rights in the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, private economic activities authorized by the government, Filipino fisherfolk so that they can fish without any disturbance whatsoever by any fictitious claims of history,” he said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS