00:00The Philippines must first be able to stand on its own in the event of a war before reinforcements arrive.
00:06That's according to AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Bronner Jr., who said they continue to strengthen their capabilities.
00:14Patrick De Jesus reports.
00:19The 2025 Armed Forces of the Philippines Joint Exercise, or Ajax Dagit Pa, officially opened this Tuesday.
00:28This is a unilateral exercise involving all branches of the AFP, now on its ninth iteration, with participation from the Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National Police.
00:41It is called Dagit Pa because the almost two-week activity will take place on sea, air, and land,
00:48focusing on command and control, cyber-defense exercises, and field training across various parts of Luzon up to the West Philippine Sea.
00:58Exercises like these form part of the Philippines' preparation and self-reliant defense posture.
01:06According to AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Bronner Jr., once war breaks out, our forces must first stand on their own.
01:15Assistance is expected to come from the United States under the Mutual Defense Treaty, as well as support from other partner nations.
01:24Our ally and our partners are expecting us to fight the war ourselves during the first part of the conflict.
01:36Kaya't napaka-importante yung ating unilateral defense plan at itong ginagawa nating exercise na ito.
01:45The realities of the West Philippine Sea remind us that deterrence is not built overnight.
01:55Rather, it is strengthened through training and unity of purpose.
02:00The AFP's unilateral defense plan continues to evolve to keep pace with modern security threats.
02:07Ang utos ng ating Pangulo, si President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is that we should be able to fight and preserve our forces for at least 20 days, hanggang 30 days.
02:24So yun yung pinakahandaan po natin na kailangan ay kayang-kayang nating lumaban na tayo lang.
02:30Browner expressed confidence in the capability and experience of Filipino troops.
02:36However, he acknowledged the need to further focus on the AFP modernization program to acquire more equipment.
02:44Hindi kaya nung current na kagamitan natin na i-cover yung entire archipelago.
02:49Kaya talagang kailangan na kailangan po natin yung tulong ng ating kongreso para mabigyan po tayo ng pondo para sa ating modernization.
