A ''high level'' of ammunition wastage was recorded in different branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Monday.

This was revealed by Galvez in his speech during the flag raising ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo on Monday.

"During the formal turnover, it has come to my attention that there is a high level of wastage of ammunition in different branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines," he said.

Galvez did not reveal the extent of ammunition wastage.

Citing his experience as the vaccine czar in the Duterte administration, Galvez stressed the need to avoid wastage.

"In the same vein that we have to take care and conserve our department logistical resources including the armed forces, we should focus on preventing wastage at all levels of the organization," he said.

"We should avoid this problem from happening," he added.

Galvez said the military and defense department are finding a way to address the wastage by possible recycling of ammunition.

"We will look into it, possibly recycle as training ammo... on the report we saw that we wanted to prevent this to happen, so we are now studying if we can recycle it as training ammo, but definitely safety is the primordial consideration," he said.

"We are all aware that the DND and the AFP are among the most trusted organizations in the government. as such we must work hard to reciprocate this trust," he added. Robina Asido/DMS