Punong byanSen. Win Gatchalian, chair of the Senate finance committee, has vowed to boost defense spending by almost doubling the country’s defense budget by 2028.
He said the defense allocation should reach two percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), aligning the Philippines with international standards set by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO countries.
‘As long as I am the chairman of the Senate finance committee, I will commit to reach that two percent by 2028,’ Gatchalian declared during the budget hearing for the Department of National Defense (DND) and its attached agencies on Tuesday.
Currently, defense spending stands at 1.19 percent of the country’s GDP, leaving a shortfall of about P190 billion to meet the two percent benchmark.
Gatchalian emphasized that this target is achievable given the country’s robust economic and revenue growth.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro identified deterrence and long-range capabilities, air defense systems and strategic basing infrastructure as the top priorities to strengthen the country’s defense posture.
He noted that increased defense spending reduces political risks and strengthens investor confidence, which Gatchalian agreed with during the DND’s budget deliberation, stressing that ‘a stronger defense ultimately builds a stronger economy.’
During the hearing, uncompleted and unusable infrastructure projects by the Department of Public Works and Highways were also uncovered.
Gatchalian and other members of the Senate finance committee thus agreed to scrap the agency’s Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad Program funds and transfer its P3-billion allocation directly to the DND for 2026.