Senator Loren Legarda pressed for stronger support for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as she interpellated the Department of National Defense’s (DND) proposed 2026 budget.
Legarda called for the restoration of the AFP’s Quick Response Fund (QRF), noting that she had pushed for and secured a ₱750-million QRF in 2018 under the General Appropriations Act.
“This fund supported rescue operations, logistics, and post-disaster operations. In the succeeding years, however, there was none,” she said.
She stressed that while agencies like the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have their own QRF, the AFP still does not. “Why not the Armed Forces? They are frontliners,” she said.
Legarda also raised concerns over remittances from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), citing Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro’s statement that the BCDA model has failed, with the AFP earning only ₱45 billion in 26 years while losing strategic assets such as Fort Bonifacio.
She said any renewal of the agreement must begin with a “clear inventory and audit,” adding: “It belongs to them, so dapat ibigay sa kanila.”
Legarda flagged the vulnerability of military lands, noting that “sixty-nine percent of AFP camps are exposed to espionage, encroachments, and legal uncertainties,” with many overlapping with private titles, ancestral domains, or protected areas.
She urged reforms to maximize the value of these lands through greening programs and carbon credit trading for the benefit of AFP modernization.
Legarda ended her interpellation with an appeal to provide the AFP with the resources it needs, protect its assets, and harness military lands for national security and climate resilience.
