Rep. Arnan C. Panaligan has called on Malacanang and Congress to build up and strengthen the Philippine Navy to fully protect and secure the nation’s vast maritime zones. (Video courtesy of House of Representatives)
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2025/06/04/panaligan-pushes-navy-upgrade-to-protect-vast-ph-maritime-zones
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READ: https://mb.com.ph/2025/06/04/panaligan-pushes-navy-upgrade-to-protect-vast-ph-maritime-zones
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NewsTranscript
00:00Mr. Speaker, let me begin by quoting the words of Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan,
00:06the famous naval strategist, who wrote, and I quote,
00:10When the sea not only borders or surrounds, but also separates a country into two or more parts,
00:18control of the sea is not only desirable, but vitally necessary.
00:23Such a physical condition either gives birth and strength to sea power or makes the country powerless, unquote.
00:35Mahan made his assertion in his treatise entitled The Influence of Sea Power Upon History in 1890.
00:43From a distant past, Mahan speaks to us today with relevance as we face external threats
00:50to our control over the West Philippine Sea, and as we grapple on how we can attain dominance over our vast maritime areas.
01:01Mr. Speaker, last May 20, 2025, the Philippine Navy celebrated its 127th anniversary.
01:10One of the highlights of the celebration was the commissioning of BRP Miguel Malvar,
01:15the newest and most modern guided missile frigate of the Philippine Navy.
01:22Let me greet the men and women of the Philippine Navy, led by the Flag Officer in Command,
01:28Vice Admiral Jose Maria Ambrosio Esbeleta, on the occasion of their anniversary,
01:34and extend my congratulations for the significant improvements that the Navy has attained
01:40in terms of its capabilities and operational readiness.
01:45The Philippine Navy is no longer a World War II Navy with a fleet of vintage ships.
01:52It is now a 21st century Navy that has started to acquire a fleet of modern warships.
01:59However, much still needs to be done to upgrade our Philippine Navy into a truly modern and credible deterrent force
02:09that is capable of securing our maritime zones and denying to any foreign power access to our waters.
02:18Mr. Speaker, I therefore rise on a question of personal and collective privilege
02:23to call for urgent and decisive action to build up and strengthen our naval capabilities
02:30in order to protect and secure the vast maritime areas of our archipelagic nation
02:37as defined in Article I, Section I of the 1987 Constitution,
02:44as elucidated in Republic Act No. 12064 or an act declaring the maritime zones
02:53under the jurisdiction of the Republic of the Philippines
02:57and as recognized by international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.
03:06The total maritime areas of the Philippines, including our exclusive economic zones,
03:13is approximately 2.2 million square kilometers, significantly larger than the total land area of the country,
03:22which is 300,000 square kilometers.
03:26Our archipelago is composed of 7,641 islands with a coastline of 36,389 kilometers.
03:37We are indeed a maritime nation.
03:42Our exclusive economic zone is rich in marine life and aquatic resources,
03:47which can address the food security needs of our people.
03:52It can contribute to the development of the domestic fishing industry
03:56and provide livelihood to millions of our fisherfolk.
04:00It is also believed that the seabed and subsoil within our exclusive economic zone contain mineral resources,
04:10such as oil and natural gas,
04:13and it also offers potential for harnessing wind and tidal power,
04:18thus contributing to our nation's energy security.
04:21However, we can explore, exploit, utilize, and enjoy the natural and mineral resources in our country,
04:32in our waters, only if we have the means and capability of establishing control and dominance
04:40over our country's maritime zones.
04:43The build-up of our naval power is, therefore, a matter of transcendental importance for our nation.
04:53In a maritime nation such as ours,
04:56a strong navy is an imperative for national security,
05:01national economic development, and for the nation's survival.
05:05Mr. Speaker, in recent years, we have been at the receiving end of the aggressive and hostile acts
05:14of the Chinese Coast Guard and maritime militia against our vessels right in our maritime areas.
05:21This includes the harassment of our sea forces,
05:25performing rotation and resupply missions on our troops at BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal,
05:32through dangerous maneuvers, the pointing of military-grade laser,
05:37and the use of water cannons on our ships,
05:40the employment of deafening acoustic device,
05:44and other acts of harassment that endanger the lives of our service members.
05:51Civilian vessels-carrying Filipino scientists out to conduct marine research at Sunday Kay
05:57were subjected to aggressive acts and interference by the Chinese Coast Guard.
06:02All of these hostile acts are properly documented and have been the subject of numerous diplomatic protests.
06:11Filipino fishermen that ventured near Scarborough Shoal within our exclusive economic zone,
06:18as affirmed in the July 12, 2016, arbitral ruling,
06:22were on certain occasions subjected to harassment and prevented from pursuing their livelihood
06:29in their traditional fishing grounds by Chinese maritime forces.
06:35Mr. Speaker, our inability to establish dominance in our maritime areas
06:41because of the inadequacy of our naval capabilities has invited acts of aggression perpetrated by a foreign power
06:49against our forces in our own waters, notably in the West Philippine Sea.
06:57Our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over our maritime zones
07:04are therefore vulnerable to external challenges.
07:09As Admiral Mahan put it,
07:11the absence of sea power renders a country powerless.
07:17Mr. Speaker, we are now reaping the results of our decades of failure
07:21to adequately invest in building a modern naval force
07:26with the capability to secure our waters
07:29and assert our sovereignty and sovereign rights in our maritime areas.
07:36We have enacted the Armed Forces Modernization Law,
07:39but the annual budgetary allocation that is required
07:43to fund the various projects to upgrade the capabilities of the armed forces,
07:48particularly the Navy, has always fallen short.
07:52Mr. Speaker, this is not an ideal situation in an archipelagic nation.
07:59A professor at the U.S. Naval Academy
08:02and an author of essays on maritime strategies,
08:07Clark G. Reynolds wrote
08:09that for maritime nations,
08:11the Navy has been the strategic arm
08:14of the nation's defensive structure
08:16and dominates the defensive policies of the government.
08:22Mr. Speaker, I therefore issue this appeal
08:24to the political departments of our government,
08:27to the Executive Department,
08:29and to the Legislative Department
08:31to give priority to the upgrading of the capabilities
08:34of the Philippine Navy.
08:37A few weeks from now,
08:39after the State of the Nation address of the President,
08:41he will submit to the 20th Congress
08:44the National Expenditure Program for Fiscal Year 2026.
08:50I urge the Executive Branch
08:51through the Development Budget Coordinating Committee, or DBCC,
08:56to set a higher ceiling for projects
08:59geared towards the upgrading of our naval capabilities
09:03and the modernization of our naval forces.
09:07A higher budgetary outlay for naval modernization
09:10will enable the Philippine Navy
09:12to acquire additional guided missile frigates
09:16and other warships, including submarines,
09:19shore-based anti-ship and air defense missile systems,
09:24and command and control and surveillance systems.
09:27It will enable the Philippine Navy to completely equip our warships
09:32with the missile armaments and sensors that are necessary
09:37to make them mission-capable.
09:40Our first two missile frigates, the BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Antonio Luna,
09:46are not yet completely fitted with some of the specified weapons
09:51such as the vertical launch system and close-in weapons system
09:55five years after their delivery.
09:58A higher budgetary outlay for the Philippine Navy will further enable it
10:03to construct additional naval operating bases and stations
10:08in strategic areas of the country
10:11in order to effectively secure our archipelagic sea lanes
10:16and give it the capability to deploy its assets rapidly
10:20in the event of a conflict at sea.
10:23Furthermore, a bigger allocation for the Navy
10:26can be utilized to hire additional officers and sailors
10:30to manda new warships that will be delivered,
10:34train its men and women in modern naval combat,
10:38and improve their overall well-being.
10:41Mr. Speaker, I was invited by Vice Admiral Esbeleta
10:45at the 127th anniversary of the Philippine Navy
10:49held at Naval Operating Base Subic
10:52with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as a guest of honor.
10:57After BRP Miguel Malvar, MFG-06,
11:01was formally commissioned by the Commander-in-Chief,
11:04I was given a tour of the warship by Navy officers.
11:09They explained to me the range of capabilities
11:10of our newest guided missile frigate,
11:14and it was impressive.
11:15This October, another Malvar-class frigate
11:19will be delivered to the Philippine Navy,
11:21the future BRP Diego Silang.
11:25The Malvar-class warships are more advanced
11:27and capable than the Rizal-class frigates
11:30that were earlier acquired by the Navy.
11:33I was able to meet several senior and junior naval officers,
11:38some of whom are assigned at BRP Miguel Malvar,
11:42and I was impressed with their professionalism,
11:45and deep sense of duty.
11:50That is why, Mr. Speaker,
11:52I believe that if we will give our Navy
11:55the proper and necessary support,
11:58they will be able to guard our maritime zones,
12:00uphold our nation's sovereignty,
12:03preserve our territorial integrity,
12:06and make our republic safe and secure.
12:09I urge the Department of National Defense
12:12and the Armed Forces of the Philippines
12:14to propose a higher allocation
12:17for naval capability upgrading projects.
12:20I appeal to DBCC to approve a higher budget proposal
12:25of the DND and AFP for naval modernization.
12:31I hope the incoming 20th Congress
12:33will be fully supportive of projects
12:36that will improve the capabilities of the Philippine Navy.
12:40Mr. Speaker,
12:42building a modern and capable Navy
12:44cannot be done overnight,
12:47but we have to act now
12:49with full speed
12:50in the light of the threats
12:52that we are currently facing
12:54in our maritime zones
12:56and the potential of a full-blown conflict
12:59in the East Asian region.
13:02Mr. Speaker,
13:03I want to stress
13:04that spending for naval modernization
13:06should not be viewed as a financial burden
13:10on the part of the government.
13:12With control and dominance
13:14over our maritime zones
13:16because of a strong naval force,
13:19we can fully enjoy
13:21the utilization of the marine
13:23and mineral resources
13:25in our maritime areas,
13:27thereby addressing
13:28our food and energy security requirements.
13:33Investing in a naval build-up
13:35is therefore investing
13:37not only in national security,
13:40but in national economic development as well.
13:44In other words,
13:45building a strong Navy
13:46and attaining sea power
13:49is an essential element
13:50in building a strong, stable,
13:54and prosperous nation.
13:56Thank you, Mr. Speaker.