By Priam Nepomuceno | Philippine News Agency
MANILA – National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) chairperson Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said they will look into claims made by presidential aspirant Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson that some Filipino fishermen went missing in these waters.
“Mag-verify lang ako kasi wala syang sinasabing dates (I will verify as he did not give any dates),” Esperon, who is also National Security Adviser, added in an interview with reporters Monday (Feb. 28) night.
Asked if he had received such reports much earlier, Esperon said he could not be sure as there was nothing specific to work with.
“So ang magagawa ko lang (what I could do now) is to check also, I’ll check, as of now, wala sa fingertips ko ‘yan eh (there is nothing yet in my fingertips),” Esperon said.
Defense Secretary Lorenzana also said he has yet to receive any information on the incident.
“No, I don’t (have information). I’ll check,” he said when sought for comment.
During his campaign sortie in Quezon on Monday, Lacson said they have received information that some Filipino fishermen are now missing after being reportedly rammed by Chinese Coast Guard ships while fishing in the WPS.
He added that he received this report from fish brokers who were once approached by one of the families of the missing fishermen.
The presidential aspirant said they are also verifying this report.
As this developed, Lacson said he intends to provide the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) with more digital and electronic technology.
Lacson revealed this plan in a public forum at St. Anne College Lucena, Inc. where he and running mate Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III campaigned together with four of their senatorial candidates and some local government officials.
The topic about strengthening the defensive capability of the AFP was discussed when a concerned citizen from Quezon province raised the WPS issue and asked how Lacson plans to address the persistent maritime conflict in the area if he gets elected as the 17th president.
Lacson reiterated that as a matter of foreign policy, he will pursue a “balance of power” in the region.
This means forging stronger alliances with military powerhouses on top of implementing in full Republic Act 10349 or the Revised AFP Modernization Act, which has a P75 billion funding.
The presidential aspirant, however, said that unlike in previous administrations where the Philippine Army gets the lion’s share of the AFP budget, he wants to give more funds to the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force this time.
“So, i-strengthen natin ‘yung ating Philippine Navy, ang ating Philippine Air Force. Bukod sa archipelagic country tayo ay dapat medyo bawasan na natin ‘yung infantry. Idagdag natin ‘yung budget para sa air force at saka sa navy para makatapat man lang tayo (So, we will strengthen our Philippine Navy and our Philippine Air Force. Considering that we are an archipelagic country, I think we should reduce our need for infantries. We would rather increase the budget for our air force and the navy, so we can catch up at least),” he added in a statement.
He said increasing the Philippines’ defensive capability has been included in his priorities following the recent events in Ukraine where Russia launched a full-scale invasion.
Lacson is the author and sponsor of the Revised AFP Modernization Act, which was enacted in the 15th Congress. He is also the incumbent chairperson of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation. (PNA)
-ag
