THE Department of Budget and Management has increased the allocation for defense by 11.5 percent to P129.1 billion next year to strengthen maritime defense, amid the continuing Chinese military buildup in the disputed islands on the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said the additional allocation will fund the modernization of the Armed Forces.
“We’ve already laid down measures to help agencies make optimal use of their allocations so that they can focus on the prompt delivery of public services. That’s why we’re confident that the implementation of the proposed 2016 budget will not only provide inclusive development for all Filipinos, but will, likewise, make this growth sustainable past 2016,” Abad said in a statement.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Albert F. del Rosario urged delegates to the East Asia Summit (EAS) to address vital regional security issues, particularly the tension on the West Philippine Sea.
Del Rosario said the EAS and the Asean are key to addressing the worsening security situation in the region owing to the rising Chinese military buildup.
He said that over the past several years the Philippines and its Asean partners and China have sought to fully implement the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and concluding the binding Code of Conduct.
“While there have been some movements in this regard, this is by no means sufficient to manage the recent increase in tensions arising from disputes and aggressive unilateral actions, including massive reclamation activities,” del Rosario added.
The Philippines also had sought through bilateral and multilateral means to resolve these problems with China. “Ultimately, these all failed. Therefore, the Philippines turned to arbitration as a transparent, friendly, durable and peaceful dispute-settlement mechanism consistent with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“More important, we pursued the arbitration procedure to precisely preserve a valued friendship,” he added.