Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin formally shut down on Thursday the Department of National Defense’s Philippine Defense Reform (PDR) Program, the visionary track that was crafted and implemented under the Aquino administration to rebuild and strengthen the country’s defense and military establishments.
The defense chief ended the program as he prepares to leave his post in view of the impending assumption into power of the Duterte administration, which wanted a new tack in running the country’s defense affairs.
“I hereby declare the whole PDR closed effective this date,” Gazmin declared.
The defense secretary also shut down the subprograms under the defense reform initiatives, which cover developments and improvements in the areas of personnel management system; logistics and acquisition capacity; and education and training of soldiers, reservists and reserve force and civilians.
It also included upgrading and developments in the areas of doctrines; integrity development; institutional capability, personnel performance; and quality management for ISO certification.
Gazmin, however, ensured that all ongoing development projects by the military will not be affected since the Armed Forces (AFP) is in the middle of facing both territorial and internal threats.
“All AFP-led PDR projects shall be incorporated in the AFP transformation road map and in the three major services’ [Army, Air Force and Navy] transformation road maps,” he said.
Gazmin, a retired Army commanding general, is winding down his post as defense chief, using his remaining days to reacquaint with soldiers and visiting military camps.
The PDR was steered by Gazmin to meet the need for the defense department and the once lagging Armed Forces to transform into effective organizations, with the sole purpose of optimizing their capabilities that have degraded over the past years due to government neglect and misdeeds by its members.
For the military, the PDR has ushered its actual modernization by equipping it with ships, planes, helicopters, land vehicles, including tanks and individual fighter gears for its members.
“The completion of the PDR Program is a manifestation of high standards. It is a significant milestone in our efforts to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of our country’s defense establishment in fulfilling its mission,” Gazmin said.
“It forms part of four concrete actions to position our country’s defense posture to make it worthy of recognition and respect from neighboring countries in the region and in the international community,” he added.
With the closure of the program, some defense and military officials fear that the Armed Forces would reacquire its old tag as the laggard and least developed fighting force in the region, especially with the pronouncement of Duterte that he wanted to give more focus on internal threats.
“He wanted to acquire helicopters and fast craft because he wanted to focus on counter-insurgency,” said incoming Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya.