Sen. Marcos reiterates revival of ‘self-reliant’ defense program
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur – Senator Imee Marcos reiterated her call for the revival of the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) during the opening of the Caraga Regional Athletic Games 2024 in Prosperidad, Agusan del Sur.
SRDP is a program initiated in 1974 by her father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., that allowed the country to manufacture war materials such as missiles, rifles and ammunition.
She issued the call anew amid the continued harassment conducted by the China Coast Guard and its maritime militia vessels against Philippine vessels conducting resupply missions in the disputed West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“Mahirap kang makipag negotiate kung masyado kang mahina. Wala namang strength mapakita puro lang maanghang na salita (It’s hard to negotiate when you are too weak. We have no strength to show, we only mince spicy words),” the senator said.
She said the country does not have enough arms to defend its territory, which is why it is important to resuscitate the SRDP where the government can manufacture its own arms.
Marcos made this call in February last year when she consulted top officers of the Western Mindanao Command in an effort to revive the abandoned government program that would enable the country’s self-reliance in national defense.
Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said the SRDP must be revived to “scale down our dependence on foreign goodwill in the sticky web of geopolitics.”
“Thailand now customizes rifles that are slimmer and lighter for its soldiers, while Vietnam can now manufacture anti-surface warfare missiles. How far have we gone?” Marcos said in a press statement.
“In the 70’s to early 80’s, our SRDP was already producing M-16 rifles under license, steel helmets, hand grenades and other ammunition, handheld radios, Jiffy jeeps. It also created jobs and minimized foreign spending,” the senator recalled.
She further explained that Filipino manufacturers used local materials besides the imported parts from which technological know-how was gained, with the National Science Development Board supporting research and development.
“(During my father’s time) we had mini-cruisers, patrol cars, patrol boats and we even had missiles in the 1970s,” she said.
Marcos urged to continue dialogues with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) involving the maritime disputes in the region with China, as the first round of the nation’s defense is our neighboring countries. (Chris V. Panganiban, PPIO-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
