Cruz wants AFP upgrade fund disbursed properly

Outgoing Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr. said yesterday the fund allocated for the Capability Upgrade Program (CUP) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should be properly disbursed to ensure that the money will be used solely to purchase new and modern military equipment.

The AFP’s six-year capability upgrade program is aimed at boosting the military’s capabilities in areas such as mobility, firepower, communications, force protection and combat life support.

Under the CUP, the first 10 of 18 blocks involve the purchase of new and modern equipment essential to the military’s internal security operations. These include infantry weapons, communication and combat life support equipment and additional aircraft for the Air Force.

The remaining eight blocks will be dedicated to the purchase of battle hardware for territorial defense.

The CUP’s 18 blocks require P210 billion to be implemented.

Cruz said he has instructed Defense Undersecretary Ariston delos Reyes and AFP vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Antonio Romero to ensure that the P32 billion intended for the CUP’s blocks one to six would indeed be used to buy mission-essential equipment. 

"If we are given P10 billion pesos a year, these six blocks would be finished within three years," he said.

Aside from that, Cruz said he asked Romero and Delos Reyes to "guard" the P1.5 billion a year intended for the construction of 2,500 base housing units for soldiers per year. He added that thus far, there are only 7,000 base housing units for AFP personnel.

Cruz said AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon has been waiting for the release of the funds from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) but up to now, the money has yet to be released.

"I am calling on the DBM to release P1 billion for the AFP’s on-base housing. Please don’t take so long," he said.