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Market |
Defence |
Report Type |
Market Research |
Country |
Philippines |
Published |
12 February 2009 |
Number of Pages |
48 |
Download |
|
Immediate |
|
Publisher |
Business Monitor International |
The three months to the end of December bought several defence sector themes to the fore in the Philippines. The most important one was an escalation of the conflict between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) insurgency and the government. In September, the government ended its direct negotiations with MILF and demanded the surrender of three rogue MILF commanders: Kato, Bravo and Pangalian. Then, in mid-October 2008, the Supreme Court of the Philippines declared the negotiations with MILF over a Moro ancestral home in Mindanao to be unconstitutional. The scale of fighting between the Philippine army and the rogue MILF forces increased, with several hundred people reported to have been killed.
Another key theme was that specific (allegedly) Islamist movements have begun to undertake piracy in order to finance their activities. The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the Philippines is arguably one of the worst offenders in this regard.
The country’s political system is moderately stable. Although President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been under intense international and domestic pressure, her position appears secure. Crucially, Arroyo retains the support of the military and her allies dominate the House of Representatives. Thus a full military coup against her would be unlikely to succeed.
Economically, defence expenditure has risen notably in response to growing security concerns. However, the government remains heavily reliant on foreign financial assistance, mainly from the US. The Philippines’ defence industry remains small compared with other regional defence industries, especially Australia and Singapore. For the time being, we expect the government to increase defence spending by 8% annually, in real terms, over the coming years, with the clear proviso that the absolute increases will depend in part on how the country’s economy fares (and that of its donors) in the face of the global financial crisis.
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