Ejercito vows funding support to boost AFP modernization amid budget cuts, external threats
October 07, 2025
Senator JV Ejercito vowed his full support in securing sufficient and sustained funding for the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) modernization program amid persistent budget cuts and mounting external threats.
During the Senate hearing on the proposed budget of the Department of National Defense (DND) and its attached agencies, on Tuesday, October 7, Ejercito urged the government to provide sustainable funding for the program to strengthen the country’s defense posture, especially amid the precarious situation in the West Philippine Sea.
“For years, the AFP modernization has been victimized by budget cuts. But in the Senate, we have been consistent in supplementing and adding budget for the AFP modernization in the past years, tayo po ang nagdadagdag,” Ejercito said.
“Ang tanong ko, out of 188 revised AFP modernization projects, only 59 were completed? Talagang ganito lang to?,” he added, pointing out that consistent underfunding has delayed the country’s transition to a credible defense capability.
The senator recalled how billions of funds allocated to the first district engineering office in Bulacan were lost to so-called “ghost" flood control projects.
“Kung inilaan sana dito sa modernization program, nakahabol na tayo. Nasa Horizon 3 na sana tayo ngayon,” he said.
Ejercito emphasized that without institutional reforms, a stable funding mechanism, and a more integrated defense-industrial strategy, the AFP will continue to fall short of its modernization goals even as security challenges grow more complex in the region.
He also asked defense officials to present concrete measures to address the funding gap and ensure the timely and effective implementation of the program.
A staunch advocate of AFP modernization, Ejercito reiterated his commitment to support legislative and budgetary measures that will strengthen the Armed Forces and safeguard the country’s sovereignty. #
