ARMED Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. said there were no Filipino cadets sent for military training in China.
In an interview with reporters on Thursday, August 10, 2023, at the AFP Western Command in Palawan, Brawner said that there are currently 45 Filipino cadets studying abroad, but none of them are in China.
“Let me just clarify wala tayong pinapadala na kadete sa China, we only send cadets to four countries: the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea,” Brawner said.
Brawner, however, admitted that several military officers had been sent to China to conduct training under a memorandum of understanding for defense cooperation signed between China and the Philippines in 2004.
He said the AFP assesses the situation after military officials return from China to see whether there is still a need to continue such deployments.
“Indeed, we are learning from all of them... Malaki ang nakukuha nating value by sending officers and enlisted personnel to study. When they come back, they share best practices and we can see what we can apply here,” Brawner said.
Several senators earlier expressed alarm over the reported deployment of cadets and military officials to study or undergo training in Beijing amid another water cannoning incident perpetrated by the China Coast Guard against Philippine vessels in the Ayungin Shoal over the weekend.
Tulfo slammed the program, noting that the government must put a stop to it “because it is a complete insult to the Filipinos who continue to be bullied by China.” (SunStar Philippines)