Teodoro eyes more funds for DND capital outlay, AFP modernization

New Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday said he is targeting more funds for the capital outlay of the Department of National Defense (DND) and the modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

At a press conference, Teodoro said he will continue to lobby these additional funds to the Congress.

“We cannot continue to have a DND without a capital outlay for our own Department. We need to build up the capabilities of this Department as part of the National Defense family.

“I would like to state that that is one of my goals to build up the capabilities of the DND proper,”  he said.

Teodoro said these capital outlay funds will be inserted as an item in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

He lamented the small office and manpower of the DND.

“Nakita nyo ang aming opisina napakaliit, iilan lang ang empleyado rito, cuatrocientos lang. Ang minamanage natin na stakeholders dito ay aabot na ng milyon,” he said.

(You see our office is so small and employees are very few, around 400 only. We are managing many stakeholders reaching a million already.)

“Papaano ang manager to client ratio, masyadong malaki (How about the manager to client ratio? The difference is quite big)," he added.

Meanwhile, since the AFP already set the stages of the modernization program, Teodoro said he will only ensure that the assets that will be purchased are affordable and sustainable.

“They already set horizons for that that they have set for the upcoming year. We will continue to lobby Congress for that and for more funds,” he said.

“In the modernization, the AFP set the horizons. What we will do is to make sure that they get the best at the most affordable cost with the most sustainability as possible,” he added. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News