There will be no let-up in the Philippine Army’s goal to become world-class.

Looking back to the establishment of the Philippine Army 127 years ago, the organization has soared to great heights in its goal to improve its capabilities and push for more professional personnel suited to defend the nation and protect the Filipino people.

“Since the adoption of the Philippine governance system and the implementation of the Philippine Army roadmap, we have done so many things to improve our systems and processes,” said Col. Louie Dema-ala, Army spokesperson, in the DAILY TRIBUNE online program Straight Talk.

Dema-ala noted that cases of human rights violations involving Army soldiers have declined through the years.

“Our soldiers have become more professional and disciplined,” he said.

“Those cases for which some soldiers were known have diminished. Our trust rating has gone up,” he added, attributing this to the Army’s Army Transformation Roadmap.

Dema-ala said the transformation roadmap is also helping the organization improve its capabilities.

“We cannot say that we have entered the first world [in terms of security operations], but at least we could say that we are at par now with our neighbor countries in Southeast Asia.”

The ATR, initiated on 19 July, 2010, signifies the organization’s commitment to evolving into a top-tier military force dedicated to safeguarding the nation and its people. This 18-year strategic plan outlines reform strategies aimed at guiding the Philippine Army toward realizing its vision of becoming a world-class institution and a symbol of national excellence by 2028.

Strong Army

The Philippine Army currently has over 120,000 active personnel and almost a million reservists nationwide, including nearly 2,000 civilian personnel.

“If we look at our requirements for security and the current trend, we could say that we are still lacking personnel, but we are improving our systems and processes so we can still perform our mandate and exceed the expectations of the Philippine Army,” Dema-ala said.

Citing the current security situation in the country, Dema-ala said the Army needs to recruit at least half of the total number of troops currently serving.

According to Dema-ala, the Philippine Army has set a quota of at least 4,000 for new enlisted personnel.

“However, our applicants have increased to more than 30,000 nationwide. Aside from that, we have a quota of 800 officers, and many people are applying for this position. That’s why we are carefully implementing our selection process to choose the best and the brightest among the applicants,” he said.

An enlisted person could receive at least a P30,000 minimum salary at the entry level, excluding benefits and insurance. Entry-level officers, like second lieutenants, will get higher pay.

Technical skills needed

Dema-ala said the Philippine Army will need more than “warriors” amid the evolving security needs and external threats.

“We actually need more personnel for cyber defense. We need more people with technical skills and assistance. That’s one of the recruitment priorities of the Philippine Army,” he said.

Parallel to increasing the number of soldiers, Dema-ala said the Army focuses on upgrading its equipment under the force protection initiative. Each soldier would receive a Kevlar helmet, bulletproof vest, and upgraded firearm.

“Most of our soldiers now have short firearms, unlike before when these firearms were given to officers only. This time, even enlisted personnel have short firearms,” he said.

Modernizing Army capability

In addition, the Army is set to receive light tanks and the latest armored vehicles, including self-propelled howitzers.

“These are still undergoing technical inspection and acceptance processing,” Dema-ala said.

He said the Philippine Army is investing in training all soldiers, a prerequisite to the modernization of equipment.

“In 10 years, our modernization will be rated at 8 out of 10. Although we are still improving, we are modernizing depending on the needs of the security environment right now. There’s a continuous effort to modernize,” he said.

“We are hoping, as part of our modernization and transformation, we are envisioning that by 2040, we will become a world-class Philippine Army that is multi-domain capable with this modern equipment,” Dema-ala said.

Despite the target, Dema-ala acknowledged the fast-paced evolution of the security environment.

“We also recognize that the equipment procured this year may be obsolete five years from now, so the Philippine Army continues to modernize,” he said.

Boosting cyber defense

Amid the evolving security threats, Dema-ala said the Army is prioritizing the enhancement of its cyber security for territorial defense.

“That’s part of our wish list for the modernization so we can have a territorial defense that will be able to deny possible invasions and further defend our territory,” he said.

There’s a continuous updating and upgrading of the Army’s cyber security protocols, he added.

Hacking attempts were monitored on the Philippine Army’s portal, but these were all foiled by its cyber battalion.

He noted that some hacked Facebook accounts of Army field units were immediately recovered.

Dema-ala said hacking Army units’ social media accounts “does not pose many security concerns.”

“We are doing our best to become proactive in deterring these cyber attacks, especially in the future. That’s why we continue to upgrade our security protocols,” he said.