Is the Philippine military ‘massively underfunded’?

The Philippines’ military modernisation road map is set for delays over budget constraints, with critics calling out what they say is President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s “lip service” approach and questioning his commitment to the ambitious project.In 2024, Marcos approved a revised 1.9 trillion Philippine pesos (US$30 billion) plan to acquire newer military assets until 2034, aiming to enhance the capability of the military to project power in parts of the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea that Manila considers its territory, in line with the emphasis on archipelagic defence.In his State of the Nation Address in July, Marcos vowed to “do all that is necessary to continue upholding” the 2016 arbitral award, under which a tribunal’s ruling in The Hague negated China’s nine-dash line, which overlaps with the Philippines’ claims in the contested waterway.