Air Force chief echoes Esperon and Vice Navy chief’s admission of weak military power to protect Spratly’s

By Ronron
March 28, 2008

Another ranking official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday admitted that its force may not be as strong as of other countries that are claiming ownership in part or in whole over the Kalayaan Group of Islands (KIG) or the Spratly’s in the South China Sea off Palawan province.

Like AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. and Philippine Navy vice commander Rear Admiral Amable Tolentino, Philippine Air Force (PAF) chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog said yesterday that the Philippine military can only boast of its human resources, particularly their determination to fight, in terms of defending Philippine territory.

“Warm bodies. If we die, we die. That’s how simple our mission is,” Cadungog said when asked by reporters at Villamor Airbase, the PAF headquarters, in Pasay City on how they can defend Spratly’s.

The AFP has effectively lost its capability to address external threats when it decommissioned its F5 fighter planes in October 2005.

At present, the organization only banks on its AS-211 as alternative to the F5.

The capability to defend Spratly’s was revived recently after the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) over said area between the Philippines, Vietnam and China was exposed.

The oil-rich and marine life-abundant KIG is a subject of contention by Philippines, China, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.

“While it has already been pronounced by the chief of staff that it is really difficult to defend (the Spratly’s), it’s very near impossible that we can claim sovereignty. But as far as we are concerned, being truly Filipino and understanding what is sovereignty, we offer our service and our lives over that part of our country,” Cadungog said.

“Whether we like it or not, if they are saying that we have a problem there against another country – probably getting into our territory or intruding to our own occupied lands, then of course, we have to defend. That’s just how it is, no matter how lacking we are in our defense capabilities,” he added.

But Cadungog disclosed that the PAF is not stopping in its effort to improve its fleet for internal defense.

He said that in July of this year, 15 units of T41 trainer aircraft from South Korea will arrive in the country.

“This will be a big help to our training capabilities,” Cadungog said of the donation.

In the first quarter next year, 18 units of SF-260 (Marquetti) will also be acquired by PAF, worth P622 million, from Italy.

Cadungog said this will be used in their pilots’ “advance training.”/DMS