Panaligan pushes Navy upgrade to protect vast PH maritime zones

Manila Bulletin

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  Join this channel to get access to perks:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5664f6TkaeHgwBly50DWZQ/join   Subscribe to the Manila Bulletin Online channel! - https://www.youtube.com/TheManilaBulletin   Visit our website at http://mb.com.ph  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manilabulletin  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/manila_bulletin  Instagram: https://instagram.com/manilabulletin  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@manilabulletin   #ManilaBulletinOnline  #ManilaBulletin  #LatestNews

Transcript

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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