You are on page 1of 18

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) (Filipino: Sandatahang Lakas ng

Pilipinas; Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas de Filipinas) is composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine
Navy and Philippine Air Force. The AFP is a volunteer force. In 2012 a senior AFP officer reported
its manpower strength to be 125,000, of which 85,000 were in the Army and the rest in the Navy and
Air Force.
[6]
In 2012, the AFP Chief of Staff said that there had been no increase in the number of
soldiers over a long period, and that the military aims to hire 20,000 troops in three-years.
[7]

Contents
[hide]
1 History
o 1.1 Philippine-American War
o 1.2 Philippine Commonwealth, the Cold War and Present
2 Organization and branches
o 2.1 Former branches
o 2.2 Unified commands
o 2.3 Former Unified Commands
o 2.4 AFP-wide support and affiliate units
3 AFP Leadership
o 3.1 Ceremonial Officers
o 3.2 AFP General Headquarters (AFPGHQ) Leadership
o 3.3 Major Services Commanding Officer
4 Military ranks
o 4.1 Five Star General/Admiral
o 4.2 Rank insignia
5 Philippine Defense Reform
6 Handling Threats
7 National Policies
8 Modernization
9 Recognitions and Achievements
10 Gallery
11 See also
12 References
13 External links
History[edit]
Main article: Military History of the Philippines
Philippine-American War[edit]
Main article: PhilippineAmerican War

This article's factual accuracy
isdisputed. Please help to ensure that
disputed statements are reliably sourced.
See the relevant discussion on the talk
page. (January 2014)
In 1901, the United States established the Philippine Constabulary for purpose of assisting in
combating the remnants of the revolutionaries, and after the war served as the state gendarmerie
force composed of, from the start, both Americans and Filipinos. The AFP was formally organized
during the American Commonwealth era through the National Defense Act of 1935. The new
Philippine Army was initially organized from among former holders of Reserve Commissions in the
United States Army, from among former officers of the Philippine Scouts and Constabulary, and
othersforces involved in the defeat of the revolutionary forces which Ricarte led. Ricarte was the
only revolutionary general who refused to take the oath of allegiance to the U.S. and that he lived in
exile in Hong Kong and later in Japan. Ricarte was one of the leaders of an organization termed
"MAKAPILIS", calledMakabayan: Katipunan ng mga Pilipino, and characterized as having been a
"fanatical pro-Japanese organization" during the Second World War Japanese occupation.
Philippine Commonwealth, the Cold War and Present[edit]

This section does
not cite anyreferences or
sources. Please help improve this
section by adding citations to reliable
sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (August 2011)
During the Philippine Commonwealth era, President Manuel L. Quezon, the first president of the
Commonwealth, renamed thePhilippine Army to the Armed Forces of the Philippines on December
21, 1935, in accordance with the National Defense Act of 1935 (thus, December 21 of every year is
designated as AFP Day) and asked General Douglas MacArthur to be its first commanding officer
after the Philippines gained independence from the U.S. MacArthur accepted the offer and became
the only person of foreign citizenship to be in the ranks of the AFP. MacArthur held the rank of Field
Marshal, a rank no other person has since held in the AFP. As stated in the law, the AFP, under the
Department of National Defense, would only be composed of a revitalized Philippine Army, with
naval and air assets directly reporting to Army headquarters, and the Philippine Constabulary, later
part of the ground forces proper as a division. But after 3 years, the PC in 1938 returned this time as
a branch of the armed forces. MacArthur expanded the Philippine Armed Forces with the revival of
the Navy in 1940 and the formation of the Philippine Army Air Corps (formerly the Philippine
Constabulary Air Corps), but they were not ready for combat at the start of the Pacific War in
December 1941 and unable to defeat the 194142 Japanese invasion of the Philippines.
During World War II, all soldiers of the Philippine military were incorporated in the U.S. Army Forces
Far East (USAFFE), with MacArthur appointed as its commander. USAFFE made its last stand on
Corregidor Island in the Philippines, after which Japanese forces were able to force all remaining
Filipino and American troops to surrender. Those who survived the invasion but escaped from the
Japanese formed the basis of guerilla units that continued the fighting against the enemy all over the
islands. After Japan was defeated in World War II, the Philippines, in 1946, gained its independence
at long last (its second independence the Philippines recognizes Aguinaldo's declaration of
independence in 1898 as its original year of independence). 1947 saw the birth of the modern day
AFP with the upgrading of the PAAC into today's Philippine Air Force.
During the Korean War from 1951 to 1953, the Philippines sent various AFP battalions, known as
the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK) to fight as part of the US-led United Nations
forces in liberating South Koreafrom the invading North Korean troops, reinforced then by various
units of the Communist Chinese People's Liberation Army. At the same time the armed forces,
including the established Marine company under the PN, fought against Communist elements of
the Hukbalahap (by then the Bagong Hukbong Bayan, the Philippine counterpart of the PLA) in
Central Luzon, two Southern Tagalog provinces and several Visayan provinces, with great
successes.
And in 1966, an AFP battalion was also sent into South Vietnam during the Vietnam War to
ameliorate the economic and social conditions of its people there. AFP units were also sent in the
same time to the Spratly Islands.
1963 would see the first women join the ranks of the armed forces with the raising of the Women's
Auxiliary Corps.
Upon the declaration of Martial Law in 1972, then-President Ferdinand Marcos used the AFP,
through the regime's secret police force, the National Intelligence and Security Authority to arrest,
torture or kill his political opponents. Marcos politicized the officer corps with officers from his home
province of Ilocos Norte being promoted to higher rank and given top command positions in order to
further consolidate his control over the military. Therefore, the military had gained a bad reputation
and in effect, served as Marcos' private army. The promotion system was based only on the loyalty
to the President and the national government.
However, Marcos did good things for the AFP by instituting series of self-reliance programs for it to
enable to construct its weapons, warplanes, tanks, ships and planes locally aside from buying from
foreign sources. Missile program known as "Sta. Barbara project" was initiated by the AFP and soon
it has its own missiles to meet an external threat and the AFP itself was undergoing an expansion
program too.
In 1981, when Marcos' trusted military officer, General Fabian Ver became the AFP chief of staff,
favoritism was attached to the military organization due to the fact that the general only placed his
favorites in most sensitive positions, to the dismay of the qualified officers. Ver and Marcos also
extended the tour of duty of those military officers who shall have been effectively retired, to the
dismay also of the younger officers. Thus, discontent in the AFP ensued.
The AFP also at that time, waged a military campaign against the secessionist Moro National
Liberation Front in the island of Mindanao and New People's Army units under the Communist Party
of the Philippines nationwide, growing to a 200,000 strong force.
In 1986, a faction of AFP headed by then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and AFP vice-chief of
staff Lt. General Fidel V. Ramos took a stand against Marcos, ushering in the bloodless People
Power Revolution that removed Marcos from power and installed Corazon Aquino as the new
president of the Philippines.
During Aquino's term, most of the military units remained loyal to her as she dealt with various coup
attempts against her by other military factions that remained loyal to the former dictator and those
military officers who helped her to assume power. The 1989 coup attempt, the bloodiest of all coup
attempts against her was crushed with US help. The AFP, during her term also launched a massive
campaign against the CPP-NPA after a brief hiatus and also against the MNLF in the south.
In 1991, the major services of the AFP was reduced from four to three, when the Philippine
Constabulary or PC, an AFP major service tasked to enforce the law and to curb criminality was
formally merged with the country's Integrated National Police, a national police force on the cities
and municipalities in the country attached to the PC to become the Philippine National Police, thus
removing it from AFP control and it was civilianized by a law passed by Congress, therefore
becoming under the Department of the Interior and Local Government as a result.
In 2000, then President Joseph Estrada ordered the AFP to launch an "all-out war" against the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front, a breakaway group of the MNLF that wants to proclaim Mindanao an
independent state.
One year later, due to the political crisis the Philippines faced, Estrada was removed from power in
the two-day Edsa DosPeople Power revolt, in which the AFP played a key role. The revolution
installed then Vice-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo into the presidency.
At the height of the Cold War, the Philippines was one of the most well-equipped militaries in Asia,
because of a tight diplomatic-relationship with the United States in battling the threat
of Communism.
[citation needed]
Since 2001, the Philippine armed forces has been active in supporting
the War on terror.
Organization and branches[edit]
The 1987 Philippine Constitution placed the AFP under the control of a civilian, the President of the
Philippines, who acts as its Commander-in-Chief. All of its branches are part of the Department of
National Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of National Defense.
The AFP has three major services:
[8]

Philippine Army (PA) Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas
Philippine Navy (PN) Hukbong Pandagat ng Pilipinas
Philippine Air Force (PAF) Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas
These three major services are unified under a Chief of Staff who normally holds the rank of
General/Admiral. He is assisted by a Vice Chief of Staff, normally holding the rank of Lieutenant
General/Vice Admiral. Each of the three major branches are headed by an officer with the following
titles: Commanding General of the Philippine Army (Lieutenant General), Flag Officer in Command
of the Philippine Navy (Vice Admiral), and Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force
(Lieutenant General).
Former branches[edit]
The Philippine Constabulary (PC) was a gendarmerie type para-military police force of the
Philippines established in 1901 by the United States-appointed administrative authority, replacing
the Guardia Civil of the Spanish regime. On December 13, 1990, Republic Act No. 6975 was
approved, organizing the Philippine National Police (PNP) consisting of the members of
the Integrated National Police (INP) and the officers and enlisted personnel of the PC. Upon the
effectivity of that Act, the PC ceased to be a major service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
and the INP ceased to be the national police and civil defense force.
[9]
On January 29, 1991, the PC
and the INP were formally retired and the PNP was activated in their place.
[10]

Unified commands[edit]
Units from these three services may be assigned to one of several "Unified Commands", which are
multi-service, regional entities:
[11]

Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM)
Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM)
Central Command (CENTCOM)
Western Command (WESCOM)
Eastern Mindanao Command (EASTMINCOM)
Western Mindanao Command (WESTMINCOM)
Former Unified Commands[edit]
National Capital Region Command (NCRCOM)
National Development Support Command (NADESCOM)
Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)
National Capital Region Defense Command (NCRDC)
Central Luzon Command (CELCOM)
AFP-wide support and affiliate units[edit]
Several service-wide support services and separate units report directly to the AFP General
Headquarters (AFP GHQ), these include:
General Headquarters and Headquarters Service Command (GHQ & HSC) (acts since 1990 as
the fourth Major Service Command representing the support, technical and independent
services of the Armed Forces)
Technical and Administrative Service, Armed Forces of the Philippines (TASAFP)
Presidential Security Group (PSG)
Philippine Military Academy (PMA)
Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College (AFPCGSC)
Armed Forces of the Philippines Reserve Command (AFPRESCOM)
Intelligence Service, Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP)
Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (AFPMC)
Armed Forces of the Philippines Commissary and Exchange Service (AFPCES)
Communications, Electronics and Information System Service, Armed Forces of the Philippines
(CEISSAFP)
Civil Relations Service, Armed Forces of the Philippines (CRSAFP)
Armed Forces of the Philippines, Dental Service Center (AFPDSC)
National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP)
Armed Forces of the Philippines - Joint Special Operations Group (AFP-JSOG)
AFP Peacekeeping Operations Center (AFP-PKOC)
AFP Joint Task Force-National Capital Region (AFP JTF-NCR) - Replaced the deactivated NCR
Command
AFP Leadership[edit]
Ceremonial Officers[edit]
Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines - Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III
Secretary of National Defense - Sec. Voltaire T. Gazmin
AFP General Headquarters (AFPGHQ) Leadership[edit]
Chief of Staff Armed Forces of the Philippines (CSAFP) - Gen. Emmanuel T. Bautista, AFP
Vice Chief of Staff Armed Forces of the Philippines (VCSAFP) - Lt. Gen. Alan R. Luga, AFP
The Deputy Chief of Staff Armed Forces of the Philippines (TDCSAFP) - Lt. Gen. Gregorio E.
Macapagal, AFP
Sergeant Major of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (SMAFP) - FCMS Guillermo C.
Francisco, PA
Major Services Commanding Officer[edit]
Commanding General of the Philippine Army (CG-PA) - Lt. Gen. Hernando Delfin C. Iriberri, AFP
Flag Officer-in-Command of the Philippine Navy (FOIC-PN) - Vice Adm. Jesus C. Millan, AFP
Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force (CG-PAF) - MGen. Jeffrey F. Delgado, AFP
Military ranks[edit]


Airmen of the Philippine Air Forcewith the 6th SOS unit of the USAFduring a bilateral exercise
See also: Military ranks of the Philippines for the full set of ranks
Ranks of officers in the Philippine Military are usually pronounced inFilipino,
[citation needed]
in which they
adapt the military ranks from the U.S. Military forces. The officer ranks are as follows:
[12][13]

Himagat (Second Lieutenant/2LT)
Pulimagat (First Lieutenant/1LT)
Kamagat (Captain/CPT)
Magat (Major/MAJ),
Kalakan (Lieutenant Colonel/LTCOL)
Lakan (Colonel/COL)
Brigadyer Heneral (Brigadier General/BGEN)
Magat Heneral (Major General/MGEN)
Tenyente Heneral (Lieutenant General/LTGEN)
Heneral (General/GEN)
These ranks are officially used in the Philippine Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. Also, the
pronunciations of these ranks are actually adaptations from the Spanish and English languages
except, for the words "pangalawang" and "unang" which came from original Tagalog pronunciation.
In the Philippine Navy however, the pronunciation in Filipino of the officer's ranks, is just the same as
in English since these ranks were adopted from the ranks of U.S. and British navies. There are some
ranks though (placed in parenthesis) that can be translated and officially pronounced in Filipino. The
ranks are as follows:
[citation needed]

Ensign (Ensign (ENS))
Tenyenteng Mabababa ang Baitang (Lieutenant (junior grade)/LTJG)
Tenyente or Tenyenteng Mataas ang Baitang (Lieutenant or Lieutenant Senior Grade/LT or
LTSG)- The latter rank of Lieutenant Senior Grade is a unique rank in the Philippine Navy, thus
it is used instead of just Lieutenant.
Tenyente Kumander (Lieutenant Commander/LCDR)
Kumander (Commander/CDR)
Kapitan (Captain/CAPT)
Komodor (Commodore/COMMO) - The rank of Commodore instead of Rear Admiral (lower
half) is used in the Philippine Navy
Rir Admiral (Rear Admiral/RADM)
Bise Admiral (Vice Admiral/VADM)
Admiral (Admiral/ADM)
The alternative style of address for the ranks of Lieutenant Junior Grade and Lieutenant Senior
Grade in Filipino is simplytenyente derived from the Spanish Teniente because it is too redundant if
one addresses them fully in Filipino. It is also the same as Second and First Lieutenants in the Army,
Air Force and Marine Corps.


A Philippine Marine Corps instructor teaches US Marines "Pekiti-Tirsia Kali", a Philippine martial art during military
exercises
The ranks of enlisted personnel in Filipino are just the same as their U.S. counterparts but, they
never use the ranks of "Specialist", "Sergeant First Class", "First Sergeant" (for Philippine Army and
Air Force except Marine Corps), "Lance Corporal", "Gunnery Sergeant" and "Master Gunnery
Sergeant" in the Philippine Army and Marine Corps. They simply start to address their ranks from
Private Second Class up to Sergeant Major. Sergeant Majors in the AFP are only appointments for
senior ranked NCOs rather than ranks, examples of such appointment being the Command
Sergeant Major, AFP (held by a First Chief Master Sergeant or a First Master Chief Petty Officer)
and the Command Master Chief Petty Officer, Philippine Navy (held by an either MCPO or CMS or a
SCPO or SMS).
In the Philippine Air Force, they also use Airman Second Class up to Chief Master Sergeant, the
same as in its U.S. counterparts. (The PAF ranks of Senior Master Sergeant and Chief Master
Sergeant are also now used as enlisted ranks in the Army and Marine Corps.)
In the Philippine Navy, they also use enlisted ranks which come from the U.S. Navy with their
specialization, e.g. "Master Chief and Boatswain's mate Juan Dela Cruz, PN" (Philippine Navy).
In effect the AFP uses the pre-1950s US armed forces enlisted ranks, with several minor changes,
especially in the Navy.
The alternative style to address the non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel in Filipino are
as follows
from Privates up to Privates First Class, pribeyt or mga pribeyt for a group of privates, adopted
from the English language.
Kabo for corporals which is adopted from the word "cabo" in Spanish, but the most common
is korporal (except air force they use airman or airmen and airwoman or airwomen from Airman
up to Senior Airman).
Sarhento for sergeants in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps which is also adopted from the
word "sargento" from the Spanish language.
In the Navy, the original Filipino alternative style for Seaman or Seawoman Apprentice up to
Seaman or Seawoman First Class is mandaragat or mga mandaragat for a group of seamen and
seawomen. For petty officers, they are called P.O.'s and tsip for Chief (Petty) Officers up to (First)
Master Chief (Petty) Officers.
[citation needed]

There are no warrant officers in between officer ranks and enlisted ranks.
The uniqueness of Philippine military ranks can be seen in the new ranks of First Chief Master
Sergeant (for the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force) and First Master Chief Petty Officer (for the
Navy) both created in 2004, and since then has become the highest enlisted rank of precedence.
Formerly Chief Master Sergeant and Master Chief Petty Officer were the highest enlisted ranks and
rates, the former being the highest rank of precedence for Army, Air Force and Marine NCOs. Today
only the rank of First Master Chief Petty Officer is unused yet but the rank of First Chief Master
Sergeant is now being applied.
Five Star General/Admiral[edit]
President Ferdinand Marcos, who acted also as national defense secretary (from 19651967 and
19711972), issued an order conferring the five-star general/admiral rank to the President of the
Philippines, making himself as its first rank holder.
[citation needed]
Since then, the rank of five-star
general/admiral became an honorary rank of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces whenever
a new president assumes office for a six-year term thus, making the President the most senior
military official.
[14]

The only career military officer who reached the rank of five-star general/admiral is President Fidel
V. Ramos (USMA 1950) (president from 19921998) who rose from second lieutenant up to
commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
[15][not in citation given]

Rank insignia[edit]
The AFP, like the military forces of Singapore and Indonesia, uses unitary rank insignia for enlisted
personnel, in the form of raised chevrons increasing by seniority, save for the Philippine Air Force
which uses inverted chevrons from Airman 2nd Class onward only since recently.
[16]
In the Philippine
Navy these are supplemented by rating insignia by specialty, similar to the United States Navy. Like
the British and Spanish armed services, however, senior ranked NCOs (especially in the Philippine
Navy) also wear shoulder rank insignia only on the mess, semi-dress and dress uniforms, and in
some cases even collar insignia. Like the US military all NCOs wear sleeve stripes to denote years
of service in the enlisted ranks. Sleeve insignia for enlisted personnel in the Army and the Navy are
similar but are different from those used in the US while those in the Marine Corps mirror its US
counterpart but with special symbols from Master Sergeants onward.
Officer ranks in the AFP are inspired by revolutionary insignia used by the Philippine Army after the
1898 declaration of independence. These are unitary rank insigina used in the everyday, combat,
duty and technical uniforms both on shoulders and collars (the latter in the khaki uniforms of the
Navy), but in the semi-dress, dress and mess uniforms are different: The Army, Air Force and
Marine Corps use unitary rank insignia on the shoulder board but the Navy uses the very same rank
insignia format as in the US Navy except for the star (for Ensigns to Captains) in almost all officer
uniforms and all general officer and flag officer shoulder boards in the full dress uniform are in gold
colored backgrounds with the rank insignia and the AFP seal (the star arrangement is the same in
the Army, Air Force and Marines but is different in the Navy). The Navy uses sleeve insignia only on
its dress blue uniforms. Lieutenants and Captains wear 1 to 3 triangles (and Navy Ensigns and
Lieutenants (junior and senior grades) in their working, duty and combat uniforms) while Majors,
Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels wear 1, 2, and 3 suns (both triangles and suns have the
ancient baybayin letter ka (K) in the center) as well as Navy superior officers (Lieutenant
Commanders, Commanders and Captains) in their working, duty and combat uniforms respectively.
Philippine Defense Reform[edit]


Framework of the Philippine Defense Reform Program
In October 1999, the Joint Defense Assessment (JDA) began as a policy level discussion between
the Philippine Secretary of National Defense and the US Secretary of Defense. An initial JDA report
in 2001 provided an objective evaluation of Philippine defense capability. During a May 2003 state
visit to Washington DC, President Arroyo requested U.S. assistance in conducting a strategic
assessment of the Philippine defense system. This led to a follow-up JDA and formulation of
recommendations addressing deficiencies found in the Philippine defense structure.
[17]

The results of the 2003 JDA were devastating. The JDA findings revealed that the AFP was only
partially capable of performing its most critical missions. Moreover, the results pointed
overwhelmingly toward institutional and strategic deficiencies as being the root cause of most of the
shortcomings. A common thread in all: the lack of strategy-based planning that would focus
DND/AFP on addressing priority threats and link capability requirements with the acquisition
process.
Specifically, the 2003 JDA revealed critical deficiencies in the following specific areas:
[18]

Systemic approach to policy planning
Personnel management and leadership
Defense expenditures and budgeting
Acquisition
Supply and maintenance
Quality assurance for existing industrial base
Infrastructure support
During a reciprocal visit to the Philippines in October 2003 by U.S. President Bush, he and President
Arroyo issued a joint statement expressing their commitment to embark upon a multi-year plan to
implement the JDA recommendations. The Philippine Defense Reform (PDR) Program is the result
of that agreement.
The JDA specifically identified 65 key areas and 207 ancillary areas of concern. These were reduced
to ten broad-based and inter-related recommendations that later became the basis for what became
known as the PDR Priority Programs. The ten are:
[19]
1. Multi-Year Defense Planning System
(MYDPS) 2. Improve Intelligence, Operations, and Training Capacities 3. Improve Logistics Capacity
4. Professional Development Program 5. Improve Personnel Management System 6. Multi-year
Capabilities Upgrade Program (CUP) 7. Optimization of Defense Budget and Improvement of
Management Controls 8. Centrally Managed Defense Acquisition System Manned by a Professional
Workforce 9. Development of Strategic Communication Capability 10. Information Management
Development Program
From the perspective of the Philippine Department of National Defense (DND), the framework for
reforms is based on an environment of increasing economic prowess and a gradually decreasing
threat level over time, and seeks to make the following improvements:
[20]
1. Address AFP capability
gaps to enable the AFP to effectively fulfill its mission. 2. Implement capability for seamless
interoperability by developing proficiency in the conduct of joint operations, eliminating crisis
handleing by individual major services as done previously. 3. improve effectiveness of internal
security operations. 4. Enhance capability to counter terrorism and other transnational threats. 5.
Provide sustainment and/or long-term viability of acquired capabilities. 6. Improve cost-effectiveness
of operations. 7. Improve accountability and transparency in the DND. 8. Increase professionalism in
the AFP through reforms in areas such as promotions, assignments, and training. 9. Increase
involvement of AFP in the peace process.


Steps of the Philippine Defense Reform Program
According to the goals stated in the Philippines Defense Reform Handbook:, "The PDR serves as
the overall framework to re-engineer our systems and re-tool our personnel."
[21]
The Philippine
Defense Reform follows a three step implementation plan:
[22]
1. Creating the environment for reform
(20042005); 2. Enabling the defense establishment (20052007); 3. Implementing and
institutionalizing reform (20072010).
On September 23, 2003, President Arroyo issued Executive Order 240, streamlining procedures for
defense contracts for the expeditious implementation of defense projects and the speedy response
to security threats while promoting transparency, impartiality, and accountability in government
transactions. Executive Order 240, creating the Office of the Undersecretary of Internal Control in
the DND, mandated in part to institutionalize reforms in the procurement and fund disbursement
systems in the AFP and the DND.
[23]
On November 30, 2005, the Secretary of National Defense
issued Department Order No. 82 (DO 82), creating the PDR Board and formalizing the reform
organizational set-up between the DND and the AFP and defining workflow and decision-making
processes.
[24]



Funding of the Philippine Defense Reform Program
The PDR is jointly funded by the U.S. and R.P. governments. from 2004 to 2008, funding amounted
to $51.8 million from the U.S. and $514.0 million from the RP.
[25]
Initial planning assumptioned that
the 18-year span of reform would encompass a period of steady rise in economic growth coupled
with equally steady decline in the military threat from terrorists and separatists. Neither of these
projections have proven accurate. As of 2010, at the six-year mark of PDR, the Philippine economy
was internally strong, but suffering during a period of recession that crippled Philippine purchasing
power. Worse, the threat situation in the Philippines had not improved significantly, or as in the case
of the Sulu Archipelago, was deteriorating.
[26]

During the Arroyo presidency, deliberate Rolodexing of senior leadership within the DND and AFP
constantly put U.S. PDR advocates in a position of re-winning previously won points and positions,
and gave U.S. observers a two steps forward, one step back impression of the program. As of
2010, U.S. observers were uncertain whether Arroyo's successor, Benigno Aquino III, chosen in
Philippine Presidential elections on May 10, 2010, will continue the tradition of rapid turnover of
senior leadership.
[27]

U.S. observers have reported that overall progress of the PDR is unmistakable and has clearly
struck a wider swath of the Philippine defense establishment than originally hoped. However, they
see some troubling signs that the depth of the PDRs impact may not be as significant as originally
desired. For example, the Philippine legislature continues to significantly underfund the DND and
AFP, currently at .9 percent of GDP, compared to an average of 2 percent world-wide, and a 4
percent outlay by the U.S. Even with full implementation of all the PDRs programs and
recommendations, the defense establishment would not be able to sustain itself at current funding
levels. While this can be made up by future outlays, as of 2010 observers see no outward sign the
legislature is planning to do so.
[27]
One U.S. observer likened PDR process to the progress of
a Jeepney on a busy Manila avenueexplaining, "a Jeepney moves at its own pace, stops
unexpectedly, frequently changes passengers, moves inexplicably and abruptly right and left in
traffic, but eventually arrives safely."
[28]
President Aquino has promised to implement the PDR
program.
[29]
As of 9 March 2011, a major Philippine news organization tracking performance on his
promises evaluated that one as "To Be Determined."
[30]

The Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States has not been updated
since its signing in 1951. As of 2013, discussions were underway for a formal U.S.-Philippine
Framework Agreement detail how U.S. forces would be able to operate on Philippine military bases
and in Philippine territorial waters to help build Philippine military capacity in maritime security and
maritime domain awareness.
[31]
In particular, this Framework Agreement would which would
increase rotational presence of American forces in the Philippines.
[32]

Longstanding treaties, such as the aforementioned 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982,
[33]
are of great importance to the
Philippines in supporting maritime security in particular; respectively, their legally binding nature
provides long-term effectiveness for mutual defense cooperation and for the development of the
Philippine maritime and archipelagic domain.
Philippine defense operations are supported in part through U.S. Section 1206 ($102.3 million) and
1207 ($16.02 million) funds. These funds are aimed at carrying out security, counterterrorism
training and rule of law programs.
[34]
Overall, the United States is increasing U.S. funding for military
education and training programs in Southeast Asia. The most recent U.S. Department of Defense
budget for the region includes $90 million for programs, which is a 50 percent increased from four
years ago.
[35]

Handling Threats[edit]
In 2007, The Jamestown Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, reported that the AFP is
one of the weakest military forces in Southeast Asia, saying that as the country's primary security
threats are land-basedseparatist, communist insurgent and terrorist groupsthe army has
received priority funding, and that the operational effectiveness of the Philippine Navy (PN)
and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has suffered accordingly, leaving the country's sea lanes largely
unprotected.
[36]
In 2008, The Irrawaddy reported a statement by General Alexander B. Yano,
then Chief of Staff of the AFP, that the Philippine military cannot fully defend the country from
external threats due to a lack of weapons and a preoccupation with crushing the long-running
communist and Muslim insurgencies. Yano went on to say that a more ambitious modernization of
the ill-equipped navy and air force to better guard the country from external threats will have to wait,
saying, "To be very frank with you, our capability as far as these aspects are concerned is a little
deficient," and "We cannot really defend all these areas because of a lack of equipment."
Corruption within the higher ranks are believed to be one of the main reasons why modernization of
the armed forces has remained stagnant for decades.
[37]

As reported by The Philippine Star in an op-ed piece, the Commission on Audit said in its 2010 audit
report for thePhilippine Air Force (PAF) that with only 31 aging airplanes and 54 helicopters, the PAF
"virtually has a non-existent air deterrent capability" and is "ill equipped to be operationally
responsive to national security and development."
[38]

Since 1951, a Mutual Defense Treaty has been in effect between the Republic of the Philippines and
the United States.
[37][39]

The country is highly prone to transnational crimes and territorial disputes, environmental
degradation, and disasters and crises, and there is a lack of cooperation to resolve these issues.
Transnational crimes include international terrorism, drug trafficking, piracy, small arms trafficking,
and human trafficking. Environmental degradation consists of hazardous waste and chemical spills
and marine resource exploitation and pollution. Major disasters and crises include typhoons and
floods.
The Philippines faces major technical and geospatial challenges in handling threats to maritime
surveillance operations and external defense. Having the eighth longest coastline (33,000 km) in the
world,
[40]
the country is subject to highly porous borders and coastlines, which place constraints are
posed on the acquisition of long-range radar systems, which require multilateral assistance due to
limited defense funds. Additionally, the production, development, procurement and servicing of
satellite technology is deemed as prohibitively expensive.
National Policies[edit]
Recent national policies have shifted the strategic direction of the AFP towards external, territorial
defense as opposed to previous, internal foci. Among some of the challenges with this change in
strategic direction include the uneven distribution of maritime security resources among territorial,
transnational, environmental, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR)
conflicts.
[41]
For example, Philippine Executive Order 57, signed in 2011 by President Benigno
Aquino, established a central interagency mechanism for enhancing governance in the countrys
maritime domain.
[42]
Between 1990 and 2011, Navy and Navy Reserve Manpower (including Naval
Aviation and Marines) in the Philippines totaled 24,000 (active) and 15,000 (reserve).
Conflicts over responsibility for maritime surveillance between armed forces continue to underscore
the numerous challenges that the TBA faces. For example, following the expulsion of Ferdinand
Marcos from the Philippines in 1986, the Philippine Coast Guard separated from the Philippine Navy,
resulting in an uneven distribution of resources and jurisdictional confusion.
[43]

Modernization[edit]
Main article: AFP Modernization Act
Republic Act No. 7898, approved on February 23, 1995, declared it the policy of the State to
modernize the AFP to a level where it can effectively and fully perform its constitutional mandate to
uphold the sovereignty and preserve the patrimony of the Republic of the Philippines, and mandated
specific actions to be taken to achieve this end.
[44]

Republic Act No. 10349, approved on December 11, 2012, amended RA7898 to establish a revised
AFP modernization program.
[45]
With this the AFP will be able to push for the acquisition of
equipment (and) will also provide greater opportunities and enough time for us to finally achieve a
minimum credible defense posture which will help us in better fulfilling our mandate to protect the
people and the state, Burgos said.
The Philippines could receive some help in upgrading its military equipment from allies such as the
United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Ricky Carandang, the presidential
communications secretary, says that talks are being held with Japan to acquire 12 patrol boats for
the coastguard.
[46]

As of May 2014 the following are confirmed assets under the AFP Modernization Act:
NAVY/Coast Guard
2 ex-US Coast Guard Hamilton-class cutters retrofitted and modified as Gregorio del Pilar-class
Frigate.
6 Multi-purpose attack crafts.
1 Philippine-made, Large Landing Craft Utility designated BRP Tagbanua.
6 US-made small unit riverine crafts.
10 brand-new multi-role patrol boats from Japan (PCG).
Will acquire the French P400 class patrol boat "La Tapaguese" (PCG).
2 Strategic Sealift Vessel ordered from PT PAL, based on Makassar/Banjarsamin-class LPD.
3 units out of 5 AgustaWestland AW109 as naval helicopters.
3 medium-sized refueling tankers for "RAS" or "replenishment at sea" capability.
AIR FORCE
12 FA-50 Golden Eagle to be delivered after 38 months from March 28, 2014.
2 Refurbished C-130.
2 S211 aircraft were refurbished and returned to service.
3 EADS CASA C-295 are on order.
2 EADS CASA/IAe NC-212 Aviocar are on order.
2 S-76 helicopters were refurbished and converted into air ambulance.
18 new-build SF.260F primary/basic trainers.
8 PZL W-3 Sokol helicopters.
8 AW109 Power helicopters ordered as attack helicopter.
21 Bell UH-1 Iroquois refurbished aircraft to be delivered.
8 Bell 412 aircraft are to be acquired from Canada.
ARMY/MARINES
Introduction of the M69B 81mm Mortars.
12 Soltam ATHOS towed artillery pieces to be delivered.
Awarding of the Assault Rifle Acquisition Project to Remington Arms for the R4 rifle.
Introduction of M16A1 (enhanced) and M16A1 Dissipator from the Government Arsenal.
Arrival of excess Armored Humvees M1114, and assorted trucks M939 and M35 series from the
US.
6 ACV-300 Infantry fighting vehicle from Turkey.
23 Maxi-Ambulance from US.
Multiple KIA KM series truck.
2 batch of US-made M113A2 armored personnel carriers from US Army excess stocks.
Introduction of Raptor and Knight Falcon Unmanned Aerial System (UAS).
Other
Awarding of the National Coast Watch Center system to Raytheon
Universal Weapon Rest procured from SABER of the United Kingdom.
Weighing and Gauging Machine from Waterbury Farrel of Canada.
While specialized information sharing and professional training such as those related to satellite
imagery and communication, incidence warnings, and aerial imagery to assist in cueing, locating,
assessing, interdicting, apprehending, and prosecuting maritime incidences - fleet acquisition,
particularly for the transport of Armed Forces, support of Coast Guard search and rescue operations,
as well as anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles,
[43]
will take precedence in AFP modernization.
Recognitions and Achievements[edit]
"Give me 10,000 Filipinos and I shall conquer the world!"
Gen. Douglas MacArthur
[47]

The Philippine Armys shooting team won as the overall champion in a two-week competition held in
Australia 2013.
[48]
Philippine Army shooting team has won 14 gold medals, 50 silver medals and two
bronze medals in Australian Army Skills at Arms Meeting (AASAM)2014 by defeating the best
shooters from the armed forces of the United States and 12 other countries.
[49]
The 7th Philippine
Contingent peacekeepers to the Golan Heights have been awarded the prestigious Unite

You might also like