In the wake of the latest aviation tragedy involving a Nomad airplane of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), a military spokesman Sunday cited the need to upgrade the capability of the Armed Forces, even as he said a staggering P331 billion may be needed to fully modernize the AFP.

AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. said, “Hopefully our lawmakers and other stakeholders realize the importance of modernizing our Armed Forces. It is not just for the AFP but for the entire country.”

“Mahalaga talaga makakuha tayo ng modernong kagamitan, mga eroplano, mga barko, at mga tangke at iba pang mga gamit pang-militar because cannot remain in the dark ages... Nakikita naman natin na talagang lumang-luma na yung mga gamit natin. We really need to modernize," Brawner said.

The issue of AFP modernization came to force once again after a Nomad-18 aircraft crashed in Cotabato City, killing all its passengers, including a PAF general and seven other Air Force personnel.

Brawner said investigation of the incident is still ongoing. An 18-man investigation team has been sent to the site.

Lt. Col. Gerardo Zamudio, PAF spokesman, said technical analysis of the parts recovered by PAF site investigators and recovery team began Sunday after all available wreckage was collected last Friday and flown to Mactan on Saturday along with statements by 15 persons who witnessed the incident.

Zamudio said the team led by Capt. Ian Lamzon combed the entire Cotabato aerodrome for eight hours the day after the crash to interview residents who saw the ill-fated Nomad N-22B take off from Cotabato's Awang airport until it crashed into a subdivision shortly after takeoff.

Among those who were interviewed was the airport control tower operator who provided details of the last communication sent by the pilot of the aircraft, Capt. Genaro Gaylord Ordoño, two minutes after takeoff.

Zamudio said among the vital documents in custody of the investigating team are the weather report and the technical records of PAF Nomad N-22B No. 18. The investigating team also recovered the propellers of the turboprop plane, its tail section, its rudder; elevator, the plane's wings, seats, and personal effects of the fallen airmen.

The head of the investigating team also reportedly wants to request the help of a representative from the Rolls Royce company for technical assistance in opening the right engine of the aircraft.

Meanwhile, remains of the five of eight PAF personnel who died in the crash were given a send-off ceremony early Sunday morning at Villamor Air Base following a mass at the camp's gymnasium.

The remains of Captain Ordoño was carried by white-clad officers with black arm bands past a saluting formation of PAF personnel led by Gen. Oscar Rabeña, PAF commanding general, and was loaded into a Fokker-27 plane that flew the sealed casket to his hometown in Tuguegarao, Cagayan province.

A C-130 transported the caskets of SSgt. Jeffrey Gozum and Sgt. Ian Christy Marose Llamera to Cebu, SSgt. Sergeant Ronaldo Mejia to Zamboanga, and 2nd Lt. Alexander Ian Lipae to Davao. The remains of Major Gen. Mario Butch Lacson, Maj. Prisco Tacuboy, and co-pilot 1st Lt. Angelica Valdez remained at the PAF mortuary.

Brawner noted that in the 1960s, the Philippines was the object of envy of other militaries in Asia as it had the most modern equipment then. Today, however, it lags behind the military forces of Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. "Hindi naman tayo kulelat sa ngayon, we are above Laos, Cambodia, and a little above Vietnam."

"It's sad that we are now lagging behind. But hopefully, with some of the programs that we are trying to implement, we are trying to work out a program, a system with our DBM and Congress, because they are the ones providing our budget. If we can get a steady and sure string of funds for a series of years, we can purchase big-ticket items life aircrafts and sea crafts," he said.

"Definitely, we need aircrafts and sea crafts because we are not only dealing with internal security. We are concerned with our external security," he added. "Because of that, we need patrol vessels and even aircraft so we can secure our country from external aggression."