PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said he will keep the modernization of state security forces as his top priority.
He said that if not for the modernization program, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) would have slim chances of bringing down communist insurgents, terrorist groups, and crime syndicates.
In his last State of the Nation Address, Duterte claimed that the AFP and the PNP can now go toe-to-toe against communist insurgents, illegal drug syndicates and terrorists because he has already equipped the country’s military and law enforcement personnel with what is required to beat the enemies.
“Our Armed Forces were ill-equipped to deal with internal and external threats while the police force had been overwhelmed by criminality and the drug trade problem. This is why I made it a priority to strengthen the institution, boost the morale of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police and other armed services,” Duterte said.
The President further hinted at his modernization of the defense capability as essential in upholding territorial integrity and sovereignty from external and security threats, adding that he is proud of the accomplishments of the troops in securing the country against all threats to democratic institutions.
He also cited the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) for addressing the root causes of the insurgency problem in the country.
“In our continuing effort to build safe and conflict-resilient barangays, we have worked towards a sustainable rehabilitation and development of communities where the communists used to operate,” Duterte further averred.
He recalled that the problem of insurgency has been ongoing for decades and that fighting still persists. Duterte, however, lauded the police and the military for destroying a number of communist fronts.
He said more than 15 apparatus of the fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines have been destroyed.
“Sa totoo lang itong komunista, college pa ako, hanggang ngayon sige pa rin, so speech speech pala ito, kunwari lang pero ang totoo, there’s a lot of fighting going on in the countryside but I’d like to credit the police and military for destroying so many communist fronts,” he quipped.