Senator Francis Escudero on Tuesday said the tension in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) with China is not an excuse for the government to go into panic buying for defense equipment as he also advised the government not to let its desperation lower its guard when shopping for defense material. According to Escudero, “it is expected that arms merchants are beating a path to our door because they sense sales opportunity from a crisis but we should be picky buyers because we don’t have unlimited money. Smart buying is the key because we don’t have the resources to engage in an arms race.’ Another thing to be considered, he said, is the country’s pathetic lack for planes, boats and motor vehicles to respond to challenges like calamities within our territory. He urged the government to consider ‘dual use’ assets that can be used during military operations as well as rescue and relief operations in times of calamities. He pointed out the incident in Laguna Bay, where we lack air rescue capability which is very near to Manila. ‘Ganun din sa ngayon (The same with) Great Lake of Central Luzon. Kailangan ng (we need) amphibian boats there. Kung mananawagan tayo ng bagong destroyers para sa laot, baka naman pwede isabay o unahin ang mas murang mga rescue boats (If we will call for a new destroyers, maybe we must also call or purchase first cheaper rescue boats),” he added. Escudero said he has been advocating for a floating hospital that will double as a power plant, rescue headquarters, food pantry that will sail towards typhoon-hit areas. He said the equipment the nation will buy must be capable of being scrambled during calamities or emergency situations where lives are at stake. Escudero said boosting defense capability should begin with the tapping of local manufacturers with a proven track of producing world class products. ‘We have excellent boat builders. We have gun manufacturers whose products have gotten great reviews. Pati mga sasakyan pang lupa, pwede na kunin dito (We can also buy locally manufactured land-based vehicle),” he said
Source: Philippines News Agency
