The Philippines should treat foreign defense commitments as temporary support rather than a substitute for its military modernization drive, analysts said, as Japan and other security partners deepen defense cooperation with Manila.

Chester B. Cabalza, president of the International Development and Security Cooperation, said the country's security ultimately rests on its own forces.

"We should look at foreign defense commitments as a supplementary support," Mr. Cabalza told BusinessWorld in a Facebook Messenger chat. "The real national defense comes from our own military through public support and government spending."

His comments came after Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi agreed on Oct. 28 to pursue the transfer of an Abukuma-class destroyer to the Philippine Navy after its expected decommissioning, and to discuss arrangements for the transfer of a TC-90 aircraft by the end of Japan's fiscal year 2027. Those conditions give observers concrete milestones to track — the destroyer changes hands only after decommissioning, while the TC-90 arrangements carry a deadline at the end of Japan's fiscal year 2027 — as the agreement moves from announcement to delivery.

"The transfer of the Abukuma-class destroyer and a TC-90 aircraft to the Philippines marks a significant leap in trust and interoperability between Manila and Tokyo," Mr. Cabalza said.

He described the proposed transfers as a form of burden-sharing among security partners that could help strengthen the Philippines' maritime defense capabilities. Still, he noted the country must continue upgrading its combat aircraft and naval vessels to protect its airspace and maritime territory.

Mr. Cabalza said the Philippines should keep building hard-power capabilities even as it gains diplomatic and strategic backing from allies and partners amid tensions in the South China Sea.

"Our allies and strategic partners want to see a stronger Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that can defend its own sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

He also pointed to deepening defense cooperation among the Philippines, Japan, Australia and the United States, describing it as an emerging form of minilateral security cooperation. For Manila, that alignment adds diplomatic and strategic weight, but in his view it translates into lasting capability only alongside continued domestic investment in hard power.

But he cautioned against depending on foreign military assistance to meet long-term defense requirements.

"Our Southeast Asian neighbors did not secure their borders by waiting for donations," Mr. Cabalza said. "They built modern militaries through independent strategy, aggressive government funding and uncompromising self-reliance."

He said foreign equipment transfers should be viewed as interim measures while the government pursues a sustained modernization program backed by domestic resources and political commitment.

Age of Equipment, Gap in Training

Separately, Hansley A. Juliano, a political science lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University, questioned whether Japan's proposed transfers would be enough to address the country's defense needs, citing the age of the equipment.

"The digital and modern weaponry China is using against us might be difficult to combat even with this unless more recent tech is slapped or jury-rigged to these vehicles," he told BusinessWorld via Messenger.

He said the government should clarify whether the destroyer and aircraft would undergo upgrades before or after transfer, since technological improvements would determine their operational usefulness. That clarification, together with the destroyer's decommissioning timeline and the end-of-fiscal-2027 target for the TC-90, marks out the milestones to watch as both transfers move from agreement toward delivery.

Beyond equipment donations and diplomatic commitments, he said the government should focus on technology transfers, military training and professional education. Building the next generation of military officers with greater exposure to international security developments could strengthen the armed forces over the long term, he added.

Technology sharing, military training and professional education would help improve institutional capabilities beyond what hardware transfers alone can provide, he said.

Mr. Juliano added that a stronger defense posture requires both modern equipment and a professional military capable of responding to evolving security challenges. Investments in leadership development, doctrine and technical expertise, he said, could help the AFP improve its credibility and capacity to defend Philippine sovereignty. On this, both analysts converge: allied hardware can supplement the buildup, but self-reliant funding, training, and institutions are what sustain it.

Source: BusinessWorld