FAST FACTS: The military’s modernization push

Delays in the first two phases of the Revised AFP Modernization Program have prompted the Marcos administration to extend funding until 2034, even as the law is set to expire in 2027

AT A GLANCE

• The Armed Forces of the Philippines increased its spending for external defense through the Revised AFP Modernization Program.
• The program has faced delays and funding constraints, prompting calls for a more flexible modernization approach to better address evolving defense needs.

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The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has amped up its spending to fulfill its external defense mandate.

In December 2012, the late former president Benigno Aquino III signed the law on the Revised AFP Modernization Program (RAFPMP) to provide the military with new platforms and assets and phase out obsolete ones in its inventory. 

Thirteen years into the program and a year before its legislated end, what upgrades has the AFP seen?

Revised AFP Modernization Program

The RAFPMP was originally divided into three five-year phases called Horizons, according to the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department of the House of Representatives. Each horizon focused on:

• Horizon 1 (2013-2017) – internal security operations and establishing capability in internal security, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response while building up defense in the West Philippine Sea
• Horizon 2 (2018-2022) – improved territorial defense to address security concerns in the West Philippine Sea
• Horizon 3 (2023-2028) – strengthening archipelagic defense, including awareness and control of air and sea domains and intelligence 

In 2024, the Marcos administration reimagined Horizon 3 into Re-Horizon 3 and lengthened its period to 10 years instead of the original five years. This came after it reviewed the overdue contracts from previous phases.

This caused an adjustment in the acquisition list because of prior implementation delays and funding constraints.

Under Republic Act No. 10349, the program is given a separate budget from the Department of National Defense (DND) and the AFP in the General Appropriations Act. In 2026, it received a P40-billion allocation. The program may also receive additional funding from unprogrammed appropriations. In 2026, military modernization was allocated P50 billion in unprogrammed funds.

The DND may also undergo multi-year contracts through the Multi-Year Contractual Authority, making it possible for payments to be made through installments over several years. The DND can also enter into government-to-government agreements to secure development assistance loans to finance major acquisitions.

In the first two phases, the program spending was slightly higher than its allocation. In Horizon 1, P9.6 billion was spent, more than its allotted budget of P7.5 billion. Meanwhile, in Horizon 2, the program spent P45.1 billion.

In 2022, the program received a bump in budget to support defense efforts amid the growing presence of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea.

The program’s final phase is expected to have a budget of P189 billion.

Status of projects

In the program’s first two horizons, 151 projects were approved.

Of the 53 approved projects in Horizon 1, a total of 36 were completed, according to a DND report in 2025. 

In Horizon 2, only 22 out of 98 were completed. During the 2022 Senate budget deliberations, former AFP deputy chief of staff Vice Admiral Rommel Anthony Reyes attributed the delays to the agency’s funding constraints.

Among the major acquisitions during Horizon 1 were the following:

• FA-50 light-lift fighter jets
• Multi-purpose assault craft
• Jose Rizal-class frigates
• BRP Tarlac
• BRP Davao del Sur

Under Horizon 2, the AFP’s major purchases included:

• Miguel Malvar-class frigates (BRP Miguel Malvar and BRP Diego Silang)
• Offshore patrol vessels (Rajah Sulayman class)
• Black Hawk utility helicopters
• Anti-ship Missile System from BrahMos Aerospace
• Sabrah Light Tanks
• ATMOS 2000
• Unmanned aerial systems (Hermes 900, Hermes 450, and ScanEagle UAS)

In the updated wishlist, some items from the first two horizons were removed because they no longer fit the country’s defense needs, according to then-military chief Andres Centino. He added that some projects were removed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The items the AFP planned to acquire then under the last phase were multirole fighters, radars, frigates, missile systems, and rescue helicopters, amounting to over P500 billion.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has said the modernization program based on the current law was too rigid and that its horizons were too long. Teodoro suggested referring to Ukraine’s model, which had a faster planning phase.

He said this would help the country adapt and acquire new assets on par with evolving threats, rather than wait for fixed phases. – Rappler.com