President Marcos underscored the strategic importance of the planned United States-backed ammunitions hub in Subic, saying its development is a critical component of the Philippines’ self-reliance defense program. (Video courtesy of The White House via RTVM)
00:00All of what we consider part of the modernization of the Philippine military is really as a response to the circumstances that surround the situation around the South China Sea and now what we used to refer to the Asia-Pacific, which we have expanded now to the Indo-Pacific.
00:18And if we would certainly, like any kind of military spending, we would wish that it wasn't necessary, but it is. And so that is what we are doing.
00:30And as an adjunct to the question about the ammunition production, this is actually the United States is assisting the Philippines in what we call our self-reliance defense program, which is to allow us to be self-reliant and to be able to stand our own two feet, whatever the circumstances that occur in the future.
00:55And the reason that we have encouraged more interaction with the United States is because it is, again, it is necessary. And it is not just with the United States. It is with all our neighboring countries and even countries as far afield as the Scandinavian countries, the EU.
01:16And so this is an ongoing process. And again, I will stress the point that we do this because we feel it is necessary.
