THE Commission on Audit (COA) shared its experiences in the audit of Gender and Development (GAD) Funds with a high-level delegation from the Royal Government of Cambodia as part of a comprehensive study visit focusing on Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) and women’s leadership initiatives last Tuesday at the COA Central Office in Quezon City. 

The study visit was organized by the United Nations Development Programme to enhance the capacity of Cambodian policymakers and technical practitioners in promoting gender-responsive budgeting and women’s leadership. The study visit gave valuable insights into the Philippines’ national experience in implementing GRB, which has become a key tool for promoting gender equality through public finance. 

COA Chairperson Gamaliel A. Cordoba welcomed around 32 delegates from Cambodia led by Her Excellency Dr. Ing Kantha Phavi, Minister of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs of Cambodia.

Cordoba said the visit marked an important step toward strengthening regional partnerships aimed at advancing gender equality and inclusive governance across the Asian region. He underscored the significance of the discussions to provide practical insights that could benefit Cambodia’s GRB initiatives. “Your site visits to various government agencies showcase how GRB is applied in the Philippine context, offering valuable examples of best practices,” he said.

Minister Phavi thanked COA for the opportunity to understand important aspects of GRB implementation in the Philippines, including capacity development requirements, gender auditing, and GRB tools for sectoral use. 

Resource persons from the Commission’s Gender and Development Focal Point System Technical Working Group, chaired by Assistant Commissioner Fortunata M. Rubico, discussed how the COA audits gender-responsive budgets to ensure accountability in gender budgeting.

COA has been known in the international audit community as a pioneer in the audit of GAD Funds and has continuously enhanced the conduct of audits by prescribing and updating audit guidelines and promoting both capacity and capability-building of its personnel in the audit of GAD.

Aside from COA, the Cambodia delegation also visited the Philippine Commission on Women, the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR and VICTOR REYES

PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday signed the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) Revitalization Act which aims to enhance the country’s production and manufacture of defense assets and hardware.

The President said Republic Act 12024 would also enable the country to develop technology to counter “unconventional threats” in the defense and security landscape as well as bolster the country’s defense strategies through the strength of its own resources and capabilities.

The law aims to reduce the country’s reliance on imported sources and create equipment tailored to its security challenges. It will prioritize the production of critical defense materiel in the country, from small arms and tactical vehicles to more sophisticated systems.

The defense and military establishments welcomed the new law.

AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said it “aims to bolster the country’s defense strategies by establishing its own robust and sustainable national defense industry.”

He also said the law will be focused on enhancing the Philippines research and production capabilities.

“The revitalization of the country’s SRDP Program aims to develop and establish an independent and dynamic defense system that relies on the country’s own capabilities and resources to support the weapon and materiel requirements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and other law enforcement agencies,” said Department of National Defense spokesman Arsenio Andolong.

Andolong said the program will prioritize the “promotion of innovations and technological breakthroughs in the defense industry and dual-use technologies.”

“The law seeks to build up AFP’s capabilities in multiple domains, both traditional and non-traditional, and which will, ultimately, facilitate the attainment of a credible defense posture and self-reliance,” he also said.

Marcos said through the new law, “we can build on its legacy and expand upon that same vision – a defense posture that is independent, dynamic, and geared to the future. This law goes beyond the development of weapons or equipment, as it seeks to create a framework that makes us less dependent, more resilient, better prepared.”

“It is a commitment to a long-term growth trajectory for a national defense industry that will support the defense requirements of our country. It’s a logical move forward for a country that finds itself at the fulcrum of geopolitical shifts and volatilities,” he added.

The President said the law is also significant in light of the challenges that the country faces today, which go far beyond traditional conflicts.

“The need to develop technologies that will counter unconventional threats is more crucial than ever. Cybersecurity breaches, chemical attacks, radiological threats –these are more than hypothetical risks but pressing realities. With this Act, we are broadening our perspective on defense,” Marcos said.

He said this includes developing systems and strategies that are reactive and predictive to allow the country to stay a step ahead of those who wish to harm the Philippines.

“We are not just looking at tanks and rifles; we are building capacities that address these unconventional dangers head-on,” he added.

RESEARCH, PRODUCTION

The new law provides a structured approach to defense development which starts with improving the research and production capabilities of the country and aligning it with Philippines’ defense sector and strategic objectives, its unique requirements and ensuring that it stays ahead of evolving threats.

“The strategy is clear: we start by strengthening the foundations–the research, the production capabilities, and institutional support–then build upwards, layer by layer, until we have an industry that can stand strong and succeed on its own,” the President said.

Marcos said a National Defense Industry Development Plan will serve as guiding document of the defense sector as it details principles and goals that will shape the country’s defense industry.

It also prioritizes the production of critical defense materiel domestically from small arms and tactical vehicles to more sophisticated systems and gives preference to Filipino-owned enterprises when it comes to the development, servicing, and operation of materiel in the country such as military technology, arms and ammunition, combat training, weapon systems, armor, and other various military equipment and materials.

The SRDP is a priority measure under the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028 and part of the bills endorsed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.

Senate President Francis Escudero has said the SRDP seeks to ensure the country’s defense requirements are met through the development of the domestic defense industry with preference given to domestic suppliers and in-country enterprises.

The Department of National Defense has said the Philippines relies primarily on government-to-government procurements for its requirements and had imported around $305 million worth of military-related imports in 2022.

The SRDP program originated from Presidential Decree 415 on March 19, 1974, and was amended by PD 1081 on Feb. 1, 1977.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the SRDP had long been awaited by the military and is expected to boost and expedite the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

He said domestically produced firearms, ammunition and other related-equipment would strictly be for the use of the military and would not be available to the private sector or for commercial sale. — With Reuters