'AFP upgrade plan entails budget cuts for services'

THE Philippine government will need to reduce its annual budget for other services to finance its P2-trillion, 10-year modernization plan for its military, which will include the acquisition of several submarines and state-of-the-art weapons, a Manila-based think tank said.

"Can our economy afford this?" Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute (ACPSSI) President Herman Tiu Laurel asked in an interview on Tuesday.