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.
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