QUEZON CITY (PIA) — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday, Oct. 10, for signing the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) Revitalization Act, a key priority measure of his administration.
With the SRDP law, the military will now have the chance to help in the development of the country’s defense economy, AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said on the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon interview on PTV 4.
“We have this thing called defense economy—this covers a whole lot of things that the armed forces need, including uniforms, ammunition, armaments, military equipment, boots, and shoes—and make use of the things we have,” Col. Padilla said.
She noted that a lot of military equipment, arms, ammunition, and uniforms, among others, are imported.
“If we can achieve a certain degree of self-reliance in our defense economy, then the AFP is moving in the right direction, and the signing of the law is very much welcomed,” Padilla said.
President Marcos signed the SRDP law hours before he left for the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits in Vientiane, Lao PDR, on Tuesday, Oct. 8.
Marcos said the law goes beyond the development of weapons or equipment, as it seeks to create a framework that makes the Philippines less dependent, more resilient, and better prepared.
”It is a commitment to a long-term growth trajectory for a national defense industry that will support the defense requirements of our country. It’s a logical move forward for a country that finds itself at the fulcrum of geopolitical shifts and volatilities,” Marcos said in his speech.
“This law will also give the AFP a chance to be part of the realization of the comprehensive archipelagic defense concept and the military modernization program,” Padilla added.
“The reality now in warfare is changed, that is, from purely kinetic or conventional warfare, and we are into the use of technology, cyber security, and electronic warfare.”
The law complements the comprehensive archipelagic defense concept as well as the AFP modernization program, she pointed out.
This can be done through public-private partnerships—government, non-government (private sector), and the academe.
“So, from research and development down to our local strength and local materials, we will make use of that,” Padilla said, adding that our dependence on the importation of military supplies will be minimized. (PIA DMD)
