Philippines Plans To Add 35000 Army, Police Personnel, Boost Equipment

Philippines plans to boost its army and police commando numbers by 35000-40000 personnel besides increasing the quality and quantity of their equipment, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday.

“I would need about 35,000 to 40,000 to meet the future threats coming our way from within and outside the country and I will start also to rearm,” the President was quoted as saying by update.ph after he delivered his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) Monday.

Duterte said 20,000 will be for the military while other number will include police commandos.

President Duterte also said he is purchasing arms and equipment including high-altitude plane or drone capable of pre-assessing areas of operation to minimize the risk to government combatants.

He is hoping to build strong military in two years.