MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine defense department is putting off P9.4 billion worth of military modernization projects in the meantime as the national government reallocated its funds to prioritize the coronavirus pandemic. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said a total of P19.3 billion of funds was cut from his agency. “Itong projects ng modernization na natanggalan ng pera ay naiurong natin sa mga susunod na taon kasi di naman sila masyadong kritikal sa ating misyon,” he said. Inquirer.net learned that some of these P9.4 military modernization funds for 2020 include the C4ISTAR project for the Philippine Army worth P3.5 billion; light tanks for the Philippine Army worth P1.4 billion; and Army combat engineering brigade equipment worth P2.2 billion. “We continue to boost our defense capability through the AFP modernization program,” he said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 22, 2020 06:22 UTC