AFP to get donations from South Korea

South Korea will donate 134 pieces of heavy military equipment to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for use in civil-military operations in the countryside.

Defense Secretary for Operations Ricardo Blancaflor said the heavy military equipment is expected to arrive next month or before President Arroyo relinquishes her post as acting defense chief.

The equipment consists of bulldozers, pay loaders, graders, and heavy-duty trucks, Blancaflor said.

Last year, the Chinese government gave the defense department dozens of heavy military equipment. The DND is aggressively pursuing similar arrangements with other friendly states.

"There are many out there who are willing to help our military. And we can get more help if we just work on it harder," he said. But he did not name those countries.

Blancaflor said the defense department had already determined where to deploy the Korean heavy equipment.

"We intend to use these South Korean heavy military equipment in our Kalayaan Barangay program," Blancaflor said.

The Kalayaan Barangay program involves the building of roads, bridges and highways to connect far-flung villages with town and city centers.

The military calls the program its "right hand" approach to insurgency, in contrast to its "left hand" approach, which is dealing with the rebels by force.

Kalayaan Barangay is hampered, however, by logistical limitations, according to the military.

"Once these heavy military equipment have been delivered, the defense department will be turning them over to various Army Engineering units to hasten the Kalayaan Barangay projects in insurgency-affected areas," Blancaflor said.