How good are Filipino soldiers in the battlefield?
They were able to "invent" the quickest way to fix jammed M60 machine guns, President Benigno Aquino III said in a speech before active and retired reserve candidate officers in Camp Aguinaldo on Friday, July 26. He led the awarding ceremonies for Oustanding Soldiers.
An old, Vietnam war-era weapon, the M60 is a belt-fed machine gun, and sometimes the ammunition doesn't feed smoothly into it. The Filipino soldier's solution? Get a sardines can to serve as "roller" for the ammunition.
"Our helicopters used to have M60 machine guns. They always got jammed. Filipinos had an invention. They placed a roller for the ammunition. They used 555 sardine cans," Aquino said. "I was told our allies copied our invention because it's more effective than their invention," Aquino added.
The President was also impressed with an awardee who, under pressure, found a way to connect communication lines between a helicopter, an airplane, and ground troops. "He found a way to connect them. I think he used a cell phone," the President said.
AFP modernization
The President reiterated his committment to modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He announced in May a P75-billion military upgrade to help defend the country's maritime territory against what he called "bullies."
Manila is caught in a row with Beijing over the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), a territorial dispute that is putting tremendous pressure on the military, whose resources and personnel are deployed to fight local wars.
READ: P75-B for PH Navy to 'resist' bullies and Finish insurgency, AFP chief tells commanders
"Pakay ho natin ibigay ang pangangailangan n’yo sa lahat ng larangan, at kapag kayo naman po ay nagkulang, mayroon na tayong karapatan na magsabi: “Bakit nagkulang pa kayo?" ("What we want to do is to provide you with what you need. If you fall short of expectations, we will have the right to ask: 'Why did you still fail to deliver'?")
"Asahan ninyo ako. Nasa likod ninyo ako. Nasa harapan ninyo ako. Kung kakailangan nasa harap, sa harap, kung kailangan nasa likod, nasa likod—para sa kapakanan ng buong sambayanan," he added. (I will suppport you all the way, for the sake of the country.)
Fighter jets
The President gave assurances the military will get new equipment. "Kumpiyansa akong hindi tayo madidiskaril dito."
READ: PH to buy 12 South Korean fighter aircraft and DND wants delivery of 4 fighter aircraft ASAP
"For those who have doubts, let me emphasize: we will continue to strengthen the armed forces through honest and reasonable means. I will make sure this happens the soonest possible time," the President said.
The defense department plans to procure 12 fighter aircraft from South Korea. It is waiting for Malacañang to approve the sales agreement for the delivery of the first batch of 4 aircraft.
As Aquino made his commitment, he said the AFP modernization cannot be prioritized at the expense of the primary needs of the country — education, health, and jobs — "just so we can appear strong in the eyes of other countries."
"It is our duty to balance the allocation of government resources while we are working with neighboring countries for the stability of our region," he added.
Aquino said a total of P27.62 billion was released for the AFP Modernization Program since he assumed office.
He also cited the new law extending the AFP modernization plan until 2015 and allocating P75 billion for the first 5 years of the program.
He said he is looking forward to the arrival of BRP Ramon Alcaraz, the country's second Hamilton Class Cutter.
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