MANILA — The Department of National Defense (DND) is seeking an expanded capital outlay under its proposed 2027 budget to construct vital infrastructure aimed at strengthening the nation’s defense and security capabilities.
Under the National Expenditure Program, the defense agency has been allocated a budget of ₱324.632 billion for the upcoming year. However, the portion designated for capital outlay stands at ₱32,671,776, marking a drop from the ₱43,148,125 approved for the current year.
Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. pointed out during budget deliberations with the Senate Committee on Finance that this capital funding constraint remains the armed forces’ primary weakness.
“We need a lot of infrastructure right now, particularly on the eastern sea board, where we do not have naval presence. We do not have substantial infrastructure in Palawan, not for the naval purposes, but for the army purposes, which will serve as hubs for supporting our strategic bases,” Teodoro told the senators.
The defense chief further highlighted regional security gaps, noting that only a single Army brigade covers Mindoro, while just one infantry division is assigned to secure Northern Luzon.
“So we really need to refocus our strategic positioning in these areas and we cannot do that until, sustainably, until the Army solidifies its footprint in the Philippines,” Teodoro stated.
“So capital outlay is extremely important also for building critical infrastructure facilities for security of our platforms and security of our operations.”
To address mobility constraints, Teodoro shared that the department plans to establish multiple operational hubs across different regions.
“So our mobility is sacrificed. We cannot bridge the whole of the Philippines, but the best we can do is to provide hubs, as many hubs as possible, which will support sustained operations,” he explained.
Additionally, the DND emphasized the critical need to expand and secure independent stockpiles for essential supplies, particularly fuel and ammunition.
“We are busy building up our reserve, not only in terms of ammunition, but we need it also in terms of petroleum, oil, and lubricants. We have big notional amounts of petroleum ready, but if we do not have physical custody of this, we will be relying on private gas stations to serve our needs, which is a vulnerability of our operating troops,” Teodoro warned.