Senator Loren Legarda called on fellow senators to back the reinstatement of the Quick Response Fund (QRF) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and improved transparency in remittances from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

In 2018, the senator managed to secure a ₱750-million QRF for the AFP, which the military used in logistics, rescue and post-disaster operations, reported RH 28 Raymund Dadpaas.

In the following years, however, this fund disappeared, Legarda noted. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have their own QRFs.

“Why not the Armed Forces? They are frontliners. If there is fiscal space, I would humbly, respectfully, but strongly advocate for a QRF for the AFP,” she said.

As chair of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Legarda also appealed for greater transparency in remittances from the BCDA, which Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilbert Teodoro has called a failed model.

He pointed out that the AFP has only earned ₱45 billion in 26 years while losing valuable assets such as Fort Bonifacio.

“First, before it is even renewed, there must be a clear inventory and audit of that because we owe it to our Armed Forces of the Philippines. It belongs to them, so dapat ibigay sa kanila,” said Legarda.

She advocated providing the AFP with the resources they need, protecting their assets, and using their lands to strengthen national security and climate resilience.