Army Artillery Regiment and 99th Infantry Battalion personnel who are under the operational control of the 1st Brigade Combat Team conduct live fire exercises of 81mm and 60mm extended-range mortars as part of Exercise Salaknib between the Philippine Army and U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, Sunday, March 19, 2023. The live fire exercise is part of the ongoing eight iteration of Salaknib which is set to culminate on April 4. Cpl. Josel P. Sucayan, Philippine Army handout
MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Wednesday urged the Philippine Army to continue strengthening its relationship with its foreign counterparts, as it celebrated its 126th founding anniversary.
Marcos noted that technological advancements are facilitating "greater interaction among states, amongst economies, and peoples."
"The external security environment is becoming more complex, it is becoming more unpredictable," Marcos said during his speech.
"Continue to improve your relations with your counterparts overseas. Common security challenges necessitate a more concerted approach among like-minded nations. Share information, learn from the best practices in the region to make our military better," he told the Philippine Army.
Marcos said the military should also make adjustments on how it handles "the emerging threat" hounding Philippine territory.
While the commander-in-chief did not mention specifics, Chinese vessels were recently spotted in the West Philippine Sea, while the Chinese coast guard's use of military-grade laser in February triggered fresh diplomatic protests from Manila.
"I am confident that the Philippine Army, which has more than a century of experience, will be able to rise up to the task as it has always done," Marcos said.
Marcos earlier in the day said Manila and Washington would soon announce the location of 4 additional Philippine military bases that US troops would be allowed to use, in a move seen to counter Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea.
Video from PTV
Meanwhile, Marcos said his administration would build an initial 1,000 houses in Cavite for soldiers and policemen as part of its housing program.
The government is finalizing some arrangements, including the financing scheme for this, he said.
"For example, the military, how do we handle the transfer of – ‘pag lilipat sila sa ibang lugar, what can they do? Nawawala na lang ‘yung bahay nila. So what’s the financing that we can provide?" he added.
"It’s just an investment in the well-being of our uniformed personnel so that ‘yung kanilang serbisyo hindi nila kailangan alalahanin kung saan sila uuwi at saan uuwi ang pamilya nila."
(If they are deployed to another area, what can they do? They just ose their house. It’s just an investment in the well-being of our uniformed personnel so that as they serve, they need not worry about where their families' home.)