President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has asked the United States to assist the government in its effort to modernise the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The president made this statement during a dinner meeting yesterday with visiting U.S. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana at her family home in suburban Makati City's Forbes Park.

The president apprised Lugar of the ongoing hostage crisis in southern Basilan. She told the senator that her administration is determined to put a permanent end to the vicious kidnapping activities of the Abu Sayyaf.

She stressed, however, that the ongoing hostage crisis only highlighted the need for the Philippines government to modernise its armed forces, an area in which the U.S. government could provide better assistance.

Ever since she assumed the presidency in January, following the ouster of Joseph Estrada, Arroyo has battled for the continuation of a military modernisation programme which was begun by former president Fidel Ramos.

The modernisation programme, which primarily focuses on improving weaponry and other military hardware that entails a total estimated spending of P50bn over a 15-year period, was shelved in 1998 as a casualty of the economic crisis.

Currently, aside from the purchase of small arms and ammunition, the Philippines military is heavily reliant on hand-me-downs given by the U.S. armed forces as part of an agreement. Arroyo thanked Lugar for being a staunch ally of the Philippines and for his encouraging support during the concluding period of the January uprising that led to her assuming the presidency.

Lugar has been an active agent of U.S. foreign policy in the country. In 1986, he played a significant role in the events that led to the downfall of former President Ferdinand Marcos when he led a team of U.S. observers in the snap election that saw the candidacy of Corazon Aquino.

He was also responsible for convincing then U.S. President Ronald Reagan to call off his support for Marcos and instead recognise Aquino as the legitimate winner in that election.