Senator Loren Legarda urged fellow senators to support the reinstatement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Quick Response Fund (QRF) and call for greater transparency in remittances from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).
Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, said the AFP had a ₱750 million QRF in 2018 used for logistics, rescue, and post-disaster operations, but the fund has since disappeared. She noted that other agencies like the Department of Agriculture and DPWH maintain their own QRFs.
“Why not the Armed Forces? They are frontliners. If there is fiscal space, I would humbly, respectfully, but strongly advocate for a QRF for the AFP,” Legarda said.
She also called for transparency in BCDA remittances, emphasizing that the AFP has only earned ₱45 billion in 26 years while losing assets such as Fort Bonifacio.
“First, before it is even renewed, there must be a clear inventory and audit of that because we owe it to our Armed Forces of the Philippines. It belongs to them, so dapat ibigay sa kanila,” Legarda stressed.
The senator advocated for providing the AFP with necessary resources, safeguarding its assets, and using its lands to bolster national security and climate resilience.