Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Philippine military would instead go to Congress and ask for a bigger budget to fill in the shortfall. "We can live without those aid," he told a forum with foreign correspondents in Manila. "Lorenzana said there was truth to the assessment by the country’s foreign secretary that the US had "failed us" especially in efforts to boost the military’s capabilities. "The Americans failed to beef up our capabilities to be at par with what is happening in the region. "Lorenzana said the Philippines received at least 30 million dollars in aid for the military every year.On Thursday, Duterte said the Philippines would not beg for assistance from countries that have criticised his administration’s war against illegal drugs, in which at least 1,523 people have been killed in police operations since July 1.

Source: The Nation Bangkok October 07, 2016 07:41 UTC