Imee wants her father's self-reliant defense program revived

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 13, 2023): Imee wants her father's self-reliant defense program revived (By Wilnard Bacelonia)

Senator Imee Marcos (Photo courtesy of Senate PRIB)

MANILA – Senator Imee Marcos suggested on Monday to revive the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) Program initiated in 1974 by her father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Senator Marcos made the statement after a consultation over the weekend with the Western Mindanao Command about the idea of reviving the SRDP which she said enabled the country’s self-reliance in national defense.

This, after the announcement of the Department of National Defense and the United States' Department of Defense of establishing four new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites and another agreement for stronger defense cooperation with Japan.

“Scale down our dependence on foreign goodwill in the sticky web of geopolitics,” Marcos said in her statement.

“Thailand now customizes rifles that are slimmer and lighter for its soldiers, while Vietnam can now manufacture anti-surface warfare missiles. How far have we gone?” she added.

During its time, Marcos recalled the country's SRDP was already producing M-16 rifles under license, steel helmets, hand grenades and other ammunition, handheld radios, and Jiffy jeeps.

"It also created jobs and minimized foreign spending. There’s no question about Filipino capability, but we must revive the SRDP now,” the senator said.

Marcos recounted that Filipino manufacturers back then used local materials besides the imported parts, from which technological know-how was gained, with the National Science Development Board supporting research and development.

In the 18th Congress, a measure pushing for the revitalization of the SRDP program was already approved on third reading but did not progress to become law.

The SRDP Program was intended to address the secessionist movement in Mindanao and support for the immediate and growing military hardware requirements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1195080