By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. is looking to increase the size of the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC), which at the moment consists of four brigades, to further strengthen the country’s external defense capabilities.
“Nag-usap kami ni bagong (I have talked with the new) commandant (Brig. Gen. Bob Apostol) and I instructed him (to come with up a) the sustainable growth chart, growth plan of the PMC,” Teodoro said in a speech during his visit to Western Command headquarters in Puerto Princesa, Palawan Tuesday.
He said increasing the size of the PMC is important due to the country’s vast territories, which need protection from a variety of threats.
“There are only four Marine brigades at kulang ito kung tutuusin (and this is not enough,” he said.
A typical infantry brigade consists of around 1,500 to 2,000 personnel.
The DND chief also aims for more deployment in the Philippines’ eastern seaboard, saying the leadership and command staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines is now studying this proposal, along with the plan to have more naval operating bases in the area.
Teodoro said plans to expand the size of the PMC must be sustained and not done in a haphazard fashion, noting that upgrades in its equipment, including its mobility assets, is also needed to make the force more capable.
“At the end of the day, a Marine Corps is not a Marine Corps if it has no mobility,” he said.
Teodoro also highlighted the need for the PMC to interact with its counterparts such as that of South Korea to improve their tactical doctrines.
“(We) must work hard to allow them to sustain their lethality, their firepower, and their mobility,”
