MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Army said on Tuesday it is planning to deploy a unit in Palawan to support the military’s defense of the West Philippine Sea.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Donald Gumiran said the proposed deployment remained in the planning stage, with the Army coordinating with the Philippine Navy, Philippine Air Force and the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Western Command.
“Yes, there was a plan… But then, of course, it is still in the planning stage,” Gumiran said in Filipino in a press briefing at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City when asked about plans to deploy a brigade in Palawan.
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“What we are doing now is that we are continuously coordinating with the other services, the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Navy, and even sa commander ng Western Command, regarding the Philippine Army’s plan to deploy a unit in the province of Palawan,” he added.
He said the planned deployment was intended to help protect the West Philippine Sea.
He said the Army was supporting the AFP’s Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC), which seeks to strengthen the military’s ability to defend Philippine territory and its exclusive economic zone.
“Definitely, if the Army deploys a unit to Palawan, its objective would be to help realize the intent of the GHQ (General Headquarters) regarding the CADC,” Gumiran said.
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The military formally began implementing the CADC in 2024 as part of its shift toward external defense. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said at the time that the strategy aimed to develop the country’s capability to protect its territory and exclusive economic zone.
Palawan is also home to Western Command, whose area of responsibility includes the Kalayaan Island Group and other parts of the West Philippine Sea.
Palawan only for now
Gumiran clarified that the current Army plan was limited to Palawan and did not include deploying additional Army units to Philippine-held features in the Kalayaan Island Group.
“Initially, the plan is indeed to deploy an Army unit to Palawan,” he said.“There are no other areas in the West Philippine Sea where we plan to deploy additional Army units,” he added.
The planned deployment comes as the AFP continues to adjust its force posture under the CADC.
Gumiran said the Army was also studying the appropriate mix and positioning of its armor and artillery assets.
He said the service was continuously assessing where such assets were most needed and could deploy them based on the results of those studies.
Missile plans submitted to DND
Meanwhile, Gumiran also confirmed that the Army has submitted plans to the Department of National Defense (DND) for the acquisition of missile systems but stopped short of identifying a particular weapon or supplier.
Asked specifically about a possible acquisition of Japan’s Type 88 surface-to-ship missile system, Gumiran said the Army had acquisition plans but did not confirm that it was seeking the Japanese system.
“We have plans. But regarding the specifics—especially which country our weapon system will come from—we have already submitted our plan to the DND for now,” he said.
“Hopefully, those plans will be approved by them and will soon be implemented,” he added.
Japan deployed its Type 88 surface-to-ship missile system to the Philippines during this year’s Balikatan exercises, marking its first overseas deployment. The system was also fired during the exercises in Ilocos Norte in May.
In June 2025, then-Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido said the service wanted to acquire the US-made Typhon missile system or a similar platform as part of efforts to strengthen its capabilities.
Gumiran said the Army’s training with foreign counterparts on different weapon systems was intended to improve interoperability and allow Filipino soldiers to learn how to operate those systems. /mr
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