House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez has committed to increase the budget allocation for the defense sector amid the continuous harassment of Philippine ships in the West Philippine Sea.

Romualdez said the budget support is part of the Marcos administration’s policy to secure and protect the West Philippine Sea as Chinese ships were reported to have been continuously harassing Filipino sailors, the recent was the reported firing of water cannons by Chinese Coast Guard at Filipino resupply boats at the Ayungin Shoal. 

House Speaker Martin Romualdez is the keynote speaker of first edition of the "The Defense Forum" organized by the National Defense College of the Philippines Alumni Association, Inc. at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City where he commited to strengthen legislative measures in support of national security. 

“Make no mistake about it. The House of Representatives fully supports the position of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. that we should continue to assert our sovereignty in the West Philippine Seas and that we should defend every inch of our territory,” Romualdez said during the “Defense Forum” organized by the National Defense College of the Philippines Alumni Association at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

“We have embarked on a strategic journey, not only to modernize our military assets but also to ensure that our personnel are equipped with the fortitude of skill and the assurance of a nation’s unwavering support,” he added.

Under the proposed 2024 budget, the allocation for the defense sector is P282.7 billion or 21.6 percent more compared to the PHP203.4 billion allocation under the 2023 budget. 

The fund, he said, will support the “Land, Air, and Naval Forces Defense Programs” totaling P188.5 billion, as well as the UN Peacekeeping Mission, among others, to ensure domestic security.

“This amount does not include P1.23 billion worth of confidential and intelligence funds, which the House of Representatives realigned to the front-line agencies in charge of ensuring national security and protecting the country's territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea,” said Romualdez.  

The House Speaker said the strategic reallocation includes P300 million to the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, P100 million to the National Security Council (NSC), P200 million to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for intelligence activities and ammunition, and P381.3 million to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the development or expansion of Pag-Asa Island Airport.

Romualdez also hailed the “brave men and women in uniform” whom he considered as “sentinels of sovereignty, safeguarding our nation’s territory against the ceaseless tides of adversity.”

The Philippines has already lodged a diplomatic complaint in the recent harassment on resupply mission for soldiers manning the BRP Sierra Madre at the Ayungin Shoal.