Outgunned in South China Sea, PH rushes defense upgrade: Lorenzana

ABS-CBN News

<div class='embed-wrap'><figure data-feedback='fb:likes,fb:comments'><img src=' http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/06/04/060418_afp.jpg' ><figcaption>Philippine soldiers march after a welcoming ceremony during the visit of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to Thitu island in Spratlys on April 21, 2017. <em>Ted Aljibe, AFP</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>SINGAPORE - (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) The Philippines is working "double time" to upgrade its military, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said, as he admitted that the country is currently incapable of defending its territories.</p><p>Beijing has begun to install missile systems on its artificial islands in the South China Sea while Manila only recently started to refurbish a collapsed runway on the largest island that it occupies in the area.</p><p>China raised its defense budget this year to 1.1 trillion yuan ($175 billion), compared to the Philippines' P149.7 billion or roughly $2.85 billion.</p><p>"At present, we don't have any capabilities to even just demonstrate to others that we are capable because we are not capable. We don't have the capital ships, we don't have the weapons," he told ANC's Early Edition in an exclusive interview aired Monday.</p><p>"It will take some time for us to be able to be ready to defend our territories the way we should defend it in the first place. We don't have the capabilities now," he said.</p><p>The Philippines has taken "diplomatic action" against China over its recent developments, officials said.</p><ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/31/18/philippines-taking-diplomatic-actions-vs-china-over-south-china-sea-activities'>Philippines taking 'diplomatic actions' vs China over South China Sea activities</a></li></ul><p>"All we can do now is diplomatic protest, note verbale and talk to them, dialogue with China. There's nothing we can do," Lorenzana said.</p><ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/05/23/18/beijings-south-china-sea-bombers-fly-in-the-face-of-protests'>Beijing's South China Sea bombers fly in the face of protests</a></li></ul><ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/26/18/ph-begins-repairs-on-pag-asa-island-in-spratlys-us-think-tank'>PH begins repairs on Pag-asa Island in Spratlys: US think tank</a></li></ul><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><p dir='ltr' lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/ANCEarlyEdition?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw'>#ANCEarlyEdition</a>: Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana says the PH does not have the military capabilities to defend PH territory in South China Sea from other claimants at present. <a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/ANCRecap?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw'>#ANCRecap</a> <a href='https://t.co/CnPI51a9Z6'>pic.twitter.com/CnPI51a9Z6</a></p>— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) <a href='https://twitter.com/ANCALERTS/status/1003413889650864128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw'>June 3, 2018</a></blockquote><script async src='https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' type='text/javascript'></script><p>Lorenza spoke on the sidelines of an annual meeting of the world's defense chiefs in Singapore. The attendees included US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.</p><p>The Philippines' only air strip in the area, located in Pag-asa Island, is "very short and unpaved," but the government is trying to improve this "so we can bring in our aircraft anytime," Lorenzana said.</p><ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/02/18/mattis-accuses-china-of-intimidation-and-coercion-in-s-china-sea'>Mattis accuses China of 'intimidation and coercion' in S. China Sea</a></li></ul><ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/03/18/china-general-slams-irresponsible-comments-on-s-china-sea'>China general slams 'irresponsible comments' on S. China Sea</a></li></ul><p>He said the Philippines should also band together with smaller countries with overlapping claims in the South China Sea to make a "stronger voice to make our wish heard by other claimant state."</p><p><strong>'WE SHOULD NOT SAY WE CANNOT DEFEND OUR COUNTRY'</strong></p><p>Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, a former Navy officer, said government officials "should not say that we cannot defend our country."</p><figure class='op-interactive'><div id='IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container'> <ivs-player id='IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1' data-ivs-spid='3001339' data-ivs-key='e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603' data-ivs-vid='1432490' data-ivs-floating='1' ></ivs-player> <script src='https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js'></script> <script src='https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js'></script> </div></figure><div class='iwantbar'>Watch more in <a href='~//www.iwantv.com.ph/'>iWantv</a> or <a href='~//tfc.tv/'>TFC.tv</a></div><p>"By all means, we should defend our country with our available assets and the point is even if assuming we already modernized, I don’t think we will go to war with China," he told ANC's Headstart.</p><p>"The point is we should not resort to war. There are so many other options that we could avail of aside from going to war with China—using law and also gathering and building consensus in the international community to pressure China," he added.</p><p>Alejano, who filed a supplemental impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte over his foreign policy over the West Philippine Sea and the Benham Rise, said while he agrees with Lorenzana's call for small nations to band together, the chief executive not asserting the country's rights "might spell trouble for us."</p><p>"We are being seen as the weakest link in this part of the region when we say that we should not protest. In fact, we were the ones justifying the acts of China, that those militarization of the South China Sea is not directed to the Philippines," he said.</p><p>"Being a responsible stakeholder in this region, we should also be aware of the concerns of other countries about this," he said.</p><p><strong>-- from a report by Analisa Burgos, ABS-CBN News</strong></p>

<p>"At present, we don't have any capabilities to even just demonstrate to others that we are capable because we are not capable. We don't have the capital ships, we don't have the weapons," he told ANC's Early Edition in an exclusive interview aired Monday.</p><p>"It will take some time for us to be able to be ready to defend our territories the way we should defend it in the first place. We don't have the capabilities now," he said.</p><p>The Philippines has taken "diplomatic action" against China over its recent developments, officials said.</p><ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/31/18/philippines-taking-diplomatic-actions-vs-china-over-south-china-sea-activities'>Philippines taking 'diplomatic actions' vs China over South China Sea activities</a></li></ul><p>"All we can do now is diplomatic protest, note verbale and talk to them, dialogue with China. There's nothing we can do," Lorenzana said.</p><ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/05/23/18/beijings-south-china-sea-bombers-fly-in-the-face-of-protests'>Beijing's South China Sea bombers fly in the face of protests</a></li></ul><ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/26/18/ph-begins-repairs-on-pag-asa-island-in-spratlys-us-think-tank'>PH begins repairs on Pag-asa Island in Spratlys: US think tank</a></li></ul><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><p dir='ltr' lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/ANCEarlyEdition?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw'>#ANCEarlyEdition</a>: Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana says the PH does not have the military capabilities to defend PH territory in South China Sea from other claimants at present. <a href='https://twitter.com/hashtag/ANCRecap?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw'>#ANCRecap</a> <a href='https://t.co/CnPI51a9Z6'>pic.twitter.com/CnPI51a9Z6</a></p>— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) <a href='https://twitter.com/ANCALERTS/status/1003413889650864128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw'>June 3, 2018</a></blockquote><script async src='https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' type='text/javascript'></script><p>Lorenza spoke on the sidelines of an annual meeting of the world's defense chiefs in Singapore. The attendees included US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.</p><p>The Philippines' only air strip in the area, located in Pag-asa Island, is "very short and unpaved," but the government is trying to improve this "so we can bring in our aircraft anytime," Lorenzana said.</p><ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/02/18/mattis-accuses-china-of-intimidation-and-coercion-in-s-china-sea'>Mattis accuses China of 'intimidation and coercion' in S. China Sea</a></li></ul><ul class='op-related-articles'>	<li><a href='http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/06/03/18/china-general-slams-irresponsible-comments-on-s-china-sea'>China general slams 'irresponsible comments' on S. China Sea</a></li></ul><p>He said the Philippines should also band together with smaller countries with overlapping claims in the South China Sea to make a "stronger voice to make our wish heard by other claimant state."</p><p><strong>'WE SHOULD NOT SAY WE CANNOT DEFEND OUR COUNTRY'</strong></p><p>Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, a former Navy officer, said government officials "should not say that we cannot defend our country."</p><figure class='op-interactive'><div id='IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1_Container'> <ivs-player id='IVS_ABS_Body_Video_1' data-ivs-spid='3001339' data-ivs-key='e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603' data-ivs-vid='1432490' data-ivs-floating='1' ></ivs-player> <script src='https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/iframe-parent.js'></script> <script src='https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js'></script> </div></figure><div class='iwantbar'>Watch more in <a href='~//www.iwantv.com.ph/'>iWantv</a> or <a href='~//tfc.tv/'>TFC.tv</a></div><p>"By all means, we should defend our country with our available assets and the point is even if assuming we already modernized, I don’t think we will go to war with China," he told ANC's Headstart.</p><p>"The point is we should not resort to war. There are so many other options that we could avail of aside from going to war with China—using law and also gathering and building consensus in the international community to pressure China," he added.</p><p>Alejano, who filed a supplemental impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte over his foreign policy over the West Philippine Sea and the Benham Rise, said while he agrees with Lorenzana's call for small nations to band together, the chief executive not asserting the country's rights "might spell trouble for us."</p><p>"We are being seen as the weakest link in this part of the region when we say that we should not protest. In fact, we were the ones justifying the acts of China, that those militarization of the South China Sea is not directed to the Philippines," he said.</p><p>"Being a responsible stakeholder in this region, we should also be aware of the concerns of other countries about this," he said.</p><p><strong>-- from a report by Analisa Burgos, ABS-CBN News</strong></p>

<p>Beijing has begun to install missile systems on its artificial islands in the South China Sea while Manila only recently started to refurbish a collapsed runway on the largest island that it occupies in the area.</p><p>China raised its defense budget this year to 1.1 trillion yuan ($175 billion), compared to the Philippines' P149.7 billion or roughly $2.85 billion.</p>

<div class='embed-wrap'><figure data-feedback='fb:likes,fb:comments'><img src=' http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/06/04/060418_afp.jpg' ><figcaption>Philippine soldiers march after a welcoming ceremony during the visit of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to Thitu island in Spratlys on April 21, 2017. <em>Ted Aljibe, AFP</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>SINGAPORE - (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) The Philippines is working "double time" to upgrade its military, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said, as he admitted that the country is currently incapable of defending its territories.</p>

<p>The Philippines is working "double time" to upgrade its military, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said, as he admitted that the country is currently incapable of defending its territories.</p>

The Philippines is working "double time" to upgrade its military, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said, as he admitted that the country is currently incapable of defending its territories.

Outgunned in South China Sea, PH rushes defense upgrade: Lorenzana | ABS-CBN News

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Outgunned in South China Sea, PH rushes defense upgrade: Lorenzana

Outgunned in South China Sea, PH rushes defense upgrade: Lorenzana