Well, from our point of view syempre alam nating walang balak makipagaway ang pinas, pero how about from an outsider's POV? lalo na at kasing close-cultured ng Chinese?
what I'm saying is , the timing for this is not in line with the statement we want to make, why not earlier on nung may threats pa sa tubbataha way back? or under a veil of secrecy? bakit kelangang nakabroadcast talaga? nakaka incite ito ng speculations within and outside the country..
What speculations? That we will go to war against China?
Alam ng China ang hardware ng bansa natin, in the same manner that we also know what they are capable of. There is no point in keeping this as a secret acquisition. To be blunt about it, this is all part of the psychological warfare versus China, not just by our country but by the US as well. Haven't you noticed how many ships and subs the US have sent to our country for "port calls?" 
This acquisition together with other planned modernization(or upgrade) for the AFP is a must. This is a deterrent for future incidents which may happen within our territory. Ang tingin ng iba dito sa purchases natin ay nagpapalakas tayo ng military natin, masama ba na maging ganyan ang tingin ng ibang bansa? Hindi.
Ang ibang bansa kasi ay regular yung pag upgrade ng hardware nila, tayo ngayon lang natauhan na kelangan palang magkaroon din ng gamit ang military natin. Matatakot ba ang China dahil sa dalawang 2nd hand ships na galing sa US, hindi. Pero simula yan ng modernization ng military ng bansa. Again, kelan tayo bibili ng gamit for our military? Saka na? The best time is now, nakakapag modernize ka na ng military, naipaparating mo pa sa ibang bansa na when push comes to shove, we can also fight back, kahit na bread knife lang ang gamit panlaban sa baril.
Also, how would you acquire a ship that huge from the US under a veil of secrecy? Walang nakakatakas sa media natin at media ng ibang bansa. And
so what if the whole world knows we are modernizing our armed forces, this should have happened a long time ago. In a way, this is our country telling the bullies and would be aggressors that we will not back down from a fight if ever we are pushed towards that option.
Nakakatakot kalabanin ang China dahil sa hardware nila pero screw their POVs and how they will react regarding these purchases of our military. Hindi tayo naghahanap ng gulo pero hindi din naman tayo dapat tumihaya o dumapa na lang kapag nagkaputukan.
Sinulat mo nga na "why not earlier,"
may nauna nang purchases dito at para ito ma-upgrade yung fleet ng bansa, yung BRP Mariano Alvarez, Ex – USS Cyclone), the (BRP Rajah Humabon, Ex – USS Atherton) and the (BRP Gregorio del Pilar, Ex – USCGC Hamilton) ngayon lang naging sensational yung acquisition na ito dahil sa isyu with China.links
http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/3697-navy-s-fastest-ship-brp-gregorio-del-pilarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRP_Gregorio_del_Pilar_(PF-15)
http://jaggedfuture.wordpress.com/brp-gregorio-del-pilar-brp-mariano-alvarez-and-brp-rajah-humabon/nagkakalat nga ang gobyerno ngayo when it comes to military capabilities upgrade. malaking dagok ang bagong pasang gun law which specifically states that one can only legally own up to 50 bullets per firearm. the government should realize that an organized and disciplined armed citizenry will be a big boost to our nation's warfare capabilities. switzerland's model is such a good thing to follow. likewise US' national guard can be tapped if and when there is a need for such. ganun din dapat ang gawin ng bansa natin, to strengthen its base force. its military's number will always be limited but there are other untapped potentials. if and when the worst happens, the citizens will arms themselves to protect their family, in a small scale, and its country, in a larger scale.
I haven't read the new gun law pero tingin ko mas inuuna nila yung pag upgrade ng military hardware versus arming the citizenry. And I think even before, the government has failed to link the general public with the issue of protecting the country in case of a war or an invasion. Hindi ba "pinalawak" din nila yung ROTC? Binigyan nila ng option na wag na magkaroon ng military training ang mga college students. That just shows that
arming the public is the least of their concern. And this indeed could be a costly mistake in the event of an invasion in our country. Pro-gun groups should try to lobby an amendment for this law.
