That proverb may have arisen under different circumstances, but it is appropriate now when the country faces China’s increasingly aggressive activities in the West Philippine Sea.
The proposed measure emphasizes the need to “revitalize the country’s self-reliance defense posture program and to fully harness the potential of the defense industry at a time when security threats are imminent and continue to evolve.” The senators also suggest the creation of a new unit within the Department of National Defense to oversee the implementation of the program and all related projects promoting the domestic production of military supplies.
The SRDP program will cover all military equipment “essential to and designed to effectively counter and address chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and cyberattacks or incidents.”