ANY Filipino traveler who goes abroad will notice how other countries give deferential priority in government services to members of their Armed Forces, whether active or retired, and the privilege extends to their family members.
This VIP lane treatment is most noticeable in long lines at immigration counters, ticket booths in train and bus stations, concert halls, and tourist establishments.
It is a small gesture of respect and acknowledgment that the government gives to these military personnel who are risking their lives every day in the service of the nation.
Not so in the Philippines. We give our soldiers and policemen, our marines and reservists, air force and navy men, the same lousy service given to civilians in public institutions. They need to be retired and join the ranks of senior citizens to enjoy some form of deference.
The same cavalier attitude was noticed by Batangas Rep. Ralph Recto in the way the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) prepared the spending program for the Department of National Defense (DND).
‘Our troops in Kalayaan municipality of Palawan and particularly on Pag asa island face more risks every day than military personnel in inland stations. The least the government can do for them is give them sturdy and safe facilities, better housing and logistical support.’
Recto noticed the measly amount, and raised the question begging to be asked: Is P80 million all the Philippines can afford to improve its military facilities on Pag-asa Island in Kalayaan town, Palawan?
“For all the loud noises (the) government makes in defending what is ours in the West Philippine Sea, it seems that the funds it is proposing in the 2024 national budget for improving military facilities in Pag-asa Island in Kalayaan, Palawan amount to a whimper,” the Batangas representative said.
Recto pointed out that only two projects in Pag-asa were tagged as “itemized expenditure” in the 2024 budget under the P3.8-billion “Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad Program” or TIKAS program of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
One of the projects costing P40 million is for the construction of “igloo-style ammunition storage” while the other one, also P40 million, is for the establishment of two-story military personnel barracks in Pag-Asa island.
The share of Pag-asa Island, home to the Rancudo Air Station and Liwanag Naval Station, translates to a mere 2.1 percent of TIKAS funds. The Maagnas airstrip in Rancudo Air Station in the island needs “shore protection” but not a single centavo from the P215 billion in proposed flood control funds has been earmarked for it for 2024.
According to Recto, if P80 million “is all there is, then we will be spending more for road guardrails than on an island that guards our interest in the disputed area.”
“Our occupation of Pag-asa is unchallenged. Conventional wisdom dictates that we transform an island we physically possess into a bulwark,” he said.
Our troops in Kalayaan municipality of Palawan and particularly on Pag-asa island face more risks every day than military personnel in inland stations. The least the government can do for them is give them sturdy and safe facilities, better housing and logistical support.
The budget deliberation in Congress is an opportunity for our so-called patriotic officials to put their money where their mouths are.
