Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. admitted on Thursday, August 29, that the Philippines procrastinated in strengthening its defense posture in strategic areas while addressing threats in the South China Sea.
Speaking during the budget hearing in Congress, Teodoro highlighted that during the country’s previous presence in contested areas, there should have been a concerted effort to invest in forward posts. These outposts would have provided a more robust and resilient defense posture.
“During our presence years before, we should have already also pushed investments into creating forward posts in the area and that would have hardened our posture,” Teodoro said.
Teodoro emphasized that the main lesson from the past is the cost of procrastination in defense matters. He pointed out that in situations where territorial integrity is at stake, time is an irreplaceable asset.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte played down the Philippines’ sea dispute with China for most of his six-year term. He even called the 2016 Hague decision in the Philippines’ favor a “piece of paper” that he could “throw away.”
The Philippines changed its focus under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to build stronger military links with several countries, including the US and Japan. It also criticized China for doing illegal things in the disputed seas.
In exchange, the Chinese Coast Guard attacked Filipino crew members several times when Marcos became the President, which has made things worse in the West Philippine Sea.
“So the lesson, your honor, is we procrastinated in putting aside the threat and in these types of situations time is always an asset that you cannot recover anymore,” he added.
The Defense Secretary stressed that moving forward, the Philippines needs to focus on a strategic decision to “harden the areas” of concern.
He noted that enhancing naval and air capabilities are essential but should be part of a broader strategy aimed at solidifying the country’s defense infrastructure.
“Naval capabilities and air capabilities are subsumed to the initial strategic decision to harden the areas,” Teodoro said, underscoring the need for a comprehensive approach to national defense.
Demilitarizing WPS?
ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro, who was also in the budget hearing, wants to “demilitarize the West Philippine Sea,” due to the impact of military activities, such as the Balikatan exercises, on local communities.
She said that her advocacy is rooted in the interest of the Filipino people, rather than aligning with foreign powers.
“Well, ang sinasabi niyo po, hindi po ako pro-China, hindi rin ako pro-US. Ako po pro-Pilipinas po,” Castro said.
“Ang sinasabi natin na iyong disturbance ng fisherfolks, totoo yan. May mga reports po kami sa mga Balikatan exercises niyo, sa mga ginagawa niyo. Marami hong nadidisturb na kabuhayan ng ating mga mamayan,” Castro added, emphasizing the need to consider the livelihoods of affected Filipinos in defense planning.
Teodoro said that the Philippines is not appeasing nor negotiating with China in exchange for the country’s sovereignty.
“Iyan po hindi natin pwedeng gawin. Ngayon po, baka may sariling opinyon po ang ating representante, pero iyan po ang malinaw na utos ng ating Pangulo base sa ating Saligang Batas,” Teodoro added. (TCSP)
