Fearing an escalation in Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea with the signing of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Law, Senator Juan Miguel ‘Migz’ Zubiri has stressed the need for the modernization of both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) amid rising tensions in the region.

In a press briefing, Zubiri stated that condemning China’s intrusive and aggressive actions in the WPS is no longer enough as Chinese maritime forces seem bent on violating our country’s sovereign rights despite an arbitral decision by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) favoring Philippine rights over its exclusive economic zones (EEZs).

“Modernizing our Armed Forces, especially our Navy and Coast Guard, has now become imperative with the recent and brazen act of aggression and violence coming from the Chinese maritime authorities who continue to violate our territory and exclusive economic zone in the West Philippines Sea,” he stressed.

“Condemning China is no longer enough. Nakita naman po natin sa mga ni-release na video kung paanong kinawawa, pinagtulungan at parang kinuyog ang ating mga magigiting na sundalo, isa po ay nagtamo pa ng seryosong pinsala sa katawan,” he reiterated.

According to Zubiri, it seems China is not affected by the condemnation it receives from the international community.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa has called on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to clarify the confusion over the military’s modernization funds for 2025.

Noting the ₱10-billion cut in the 2025 budget, Dela Rosa asked: “What can we do to increase the funding for our defense sector, and where can we obtain funds to finally modernize the armed forces, especially now that the DND has adopted the comprehensive archipelagic defense concept?”