Lt. Gen. Ricardo David, the new army chief, in turn pledged loyalty to democracy and set the 130,000 strong military a three-year deadline to defeat long-running insurgencies.

“Tell us what you need and we will give it to you as long as they are based on principles or professionalism and utilitarianism,” Aquino, the army’s commander-in-chief under the constitution, told soldiers at Manila’s main military base.

For more than 40 years, separatists have been seeking a homeland in the south, and Maoists have been fighting to overthrow the government. Aquino has said negotiations to end both conflicts would continue.

“Without stability, we cannot expect people to invest in our country. Achieving and maintaining stability is your obligation,” he said, asking for integrity and discipline from soldiers.

Aquino, who took office on Wednesday, said more troops would be recruited to deploy against communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas.

David told reporters the military would meet the challenge.

“Our priority is decimation of terrorism and insurgency in the country which continues to derail our efforts to attain lasting peace and development,” David said.

David took over as chief of staff on Friday, after Gen. Delfin Bangit had retired last month. Bangit had been appointed only in March by outgoing President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Aquino had questioned the decision.

Defense spending in 2010 is set at about 57 billion pesos ($1.2 billion), with more than 70 percent going on salaries and allowances. A further 5 billion pesos was allocated to buy utility and attack helicopters, coastal patrol boats, trucks and metals for manufacturing small arms munitions.

“We have very limited resources and our campaign is focused against terrorism and internal security. So what we need are equipment that can help us carry out these tasks, such as helicopters,” David said.

He said the military was studying options such as leasing or selling some assets, including vacant military land.

During the election campaign, Aquino said he would increase defense spending to 2 percent of GDP, about double the current allocation.

The military has been an influential player in Philippine politics over the past quarter century, most obviously in triggering the overthrow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and withdrawing support from Joseph Estrada in 2001.

Aquino’s mother, Cory Aquino, faced about half a dozen coup attempts when she was president in the six years after the fall of Marcos, and Arroyo faced three coup attempts.