Cong. Arnan C. Panaligan - House of Representatives

31/08/2026

30/08/2026

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE INTERPELLATION OF SECRETARY GILBERTO C. TEODORO BY REP. ARNAN C. PANALIGAN AT THE BUDGET BRIEFING OF THE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

1. The Ph 50 Billion allocated for the AFP Modernization program in the proposed 2027 national budget will be used for defense acquisition contracts under a Multi-year Contractual Authority (MYCA).

2. The Ph 50 Billion unprogrammed appropriations in the 2026 national budget for AFP Modernization program has not yet been released. During the budget briefing of the Committee on Appropriations last August 17, 2026, Rep. Arnan C. Panaligan asked Department of Budget and Management Secretary Kim Robert de Leon if DBM will release the said amount and he replied that it will be released if there is a need for it and DND/AFP will ask for it provided that there are excess revenues. He said the regular appropriation of Ph40 Billion for 2026 must first be used.

3. Rep. Arnan C. Panaligan requested the DND to furnish the committee with an update on the utilization of the Ph 40 Billion and the items charged to it as well as the items to be charged to the proposed Ph 50 Billion in 2027.

4. Rep. Panaligan asked Sec. Teodoro if he is still pushing for the amendment of Presidential Decree No. 415, a 1974 law that set a limit of US$ 300 Million for loans intended for the purchase of defense equipment. The secretary said that his proposal stands. Rep. Panaligan informed the secretary that in response to his suggestion made at last year's budget hearing, he filed House Bill No. 8059 amending PD 415. Sec. Teodoro's preference is to remove the cap or ceiling on loans for the acquisition of defense equipment. This is necessary in view of the fact that the special provision in the 2026 General Appropriations Act authorizing loans for defense acquisition is not included in the proposed 2027 national budget. Rep. Panaligan underscored therefore the need for a separate law regarding this matter and he relayed to the secretary that the House Committee on National Defense will start to deliberate on the bill.

5. Rep. Panaligan inquired from Sec. Teodoro if he was aware of the status of US Senate Bill 4097 entitled "A Bill To Modernize the Defense Capabilities of the Philippines and for other purposes" that provides for a US$ 500 Million annual military assistance to modernize the AFP for a period of five (5) years or a total of US$ 2.5 Billion. Sec. Teodoro said that this US Senate bill has been enacted into law already. The said law states that the items needed to modernize the defense capabilities of the Philippines shall include coastal defense, long-range fires, integrated air defenses, maritime security, manned and unmanned aerial systems, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaisance, defensive cybersecurity and other defense capabilities.

5. In reply to Rep. Panaligan's question, Sec. Teodoro confirmed that there are plans to acquire two more additional guided missile frigates for the Philippine Navy although he said that "the trigger has not yet been pulled" without elaborating. Rep. Panaligan however has learned from his sources that the plan to acquire two more additional guided missile frigates will push through and most likely it will be similar to Malvar class frigates but with more updated equipment and sensors.

6. Rep. Panaligan raised again the question that he asks every budget hearing regarding the upgrading or installation of the still lacking sensors and weapons systems for the Rizal class and Malvar class frigates. Sec. Teodoro said that the upgrading or installation of the specified sensors and weapons systems are ongoing. The latest procurement monitoring report of DND includes the acquisition of said systems for the Navy frigates.

7. Rep. Panaligan raised the matter of the multi-role fighter acquisition. Sec. Teodoro said that there is a plan to acquire MRFs but it involves also a lot of systems such as the ground facilities, hangar, air refuelling capabilities, ground control and domain awareness and other support systems and that all these involve financial considerations.

8. Rep. Panaligan stated that under the Constitution it is the Executive that prepares the program of expenditures as the basis of the general appropriations bill and sets the ceiling for the expenditure items. The Constitution also prohibits Congress from increasing the appropriations proposed by the Executive unless Congress reduces the allocations for other programs and transfer the same to other programs which is difficult to do. He stated that in the case of the AFP modernization fund, the real battle is at the level of the Department of Budget and Management.

30/08/2026

At the House of Representatives - OIC Assistant Secretary and Regional Director Emmy Lou V. Delfin of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) -MIMAROPA Region briefed Rep. Arnan C. Panaligan about the programs being implemented by DICT in the 1st District of Oriental Mindoro. Included in the programs are Digital Literacy Trainings for digital jobs, entrepreneurship and freelancing, free wifi installations in public places and public schools, Bayanihan SIM distribution in remote public schools, establishment of Digital Training Centers (self-sustaining centers offering ICT services and skills development), eLGU to digitize and streamline LGU services and eGOV services to improve government service efficiency.

29/08/2026

At the House of Representatives - Regional Director Joey Benter of the Department of Trade and Industry, MIMAROPA Regional Office, visited Rep. Arnan C. Panaligan and briefed him about the DTI programs for 2027 for the MIMAROPA Region, including in the First District of Oriental Mindoro. Also in the photo is Atty. Adel C. Abas.

24/08/2026

Interpellation of Department of Budget and Management Secretary Kim De Leon - At the hearing of the Committee on Appropriations on the proposed 2027 national budget, I asked Sec. De Leon about the status of the AFP Modernization Fund for 2026, particularly the Unprogrammed Appropriation amounting to Ph 50 Billion. The programmed or regular appropriation of the AFP Modernization Fund for 2026 is Ph 40 Billion. Sec. De Leon said no release has yet been made from the Ph 50 Billion Unprogrammed Appropriation.

I also pointed to Sec. De Leon that spending for AFP modernization must not be viewed by economic managers as a financial burden. I mentioned that with a strong Navy, we can explore and utilize the marine wealth and mineral resources in our vast maritime areas and thus contribute to national economic development.

Tomorrow, the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines will face the Committee on Appropriations. I will ask the concerned officials about the status of the AFP modernization program, the budgetary issues related to this and other concerns.

23/08/2026

Interpellation of the economic managers - In my interpellation of Sec. Arsenio Balisacan of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development, I pointed out to what economists called "premature deindustrialization" wherein from an agrarian economy, we leapfrogged to a services economy and skipped the industrialization phase. As a result, we have no manufacturing industries that produce basic and consumer goods for the domestic market. Manufacturing industries also employ thousands of workers even non-college graduates. Services industries such as business process outsourcing and information and communications technology jobs require college graduates with high level skills. Since we do not have manufacturing industries, we rely on imports for even our basic needs. We have become a nation of importers and buyers rather than a nation of producers and manufacturers. I pointed to Sec. Balisacan that this structural weakness in our economy prevents us from attaining a high level of development. Without a strong industrial base, our economy cannot provide adequate and quality jobs to the people. They are trapped in the informal economy or tied to low paying jobs.

Dapat isulong ng pamahalaan ang tunay na pambansang industriyalisasyon upang ganap na mapaunlad ang ating bansa at maiangat sa kahirapan ang maraming Pilipino. Kabilang dito ang pagtatatag ng mga industriya na gagawa, mag proproseso o magpro-prodyus ng mga basic goods at mga mahalagang kagamitan. Ang mga industriya ang nagbibigay ng maraming trabaho sa mga tao. Kaya sa Kongreso mayroon tayong inihain na mga panukalang batas para mapaunlad at maisulong ang industriyalisasyon tulad ng Integrated Steel Industry Bill at Ship Repair and Ship Building Industry Bill. Ang industriyalisadong bansa ay isang bansa na maunlad, matatag at mayaman.