Philippines waited too long to thwart China's incursions at sea – DND chief
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' failure to immediately counter China's illegal activities in the West Philippine Sea weakened its position and allowed other foreign powers to solidify their presence in the contested waters, the Department of National Defense chief admitted on Thursday.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. told the House appropriations panel that the country acted too late to upgrade its naval and air force capabilities and establish forward posts in the South China Sea, parts of which are referred to as the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippines is now scrambling "double time" to correct this mistake, the defense secretary admitted.
"The lesson is we procrastinated in putting aside a threat, and in these types of situations, time is an asset you cannot recover anymore," Teodoro said.
This candid assessment from the defense secretary came out during his defense of the DND's proposed P256.1 billion budget in 2025, which is 6.4% higher from the P240.6 billion budget this year.
The DND's priorities for 2025 include its plans to strengthen the Philippines' "archipelagic defense" and protect the country's sovereignty, including its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. This includes the construction of new naval bases and ports in outlying areas.
"Naval and air capabilities are subsumed to the initial strategic decision to harden the areas. We should have done it immediately at that time," Teodoro said. "And now we should do it double time where we can."
Besides the West Philippine Sea, the DND is also focused on securing the Philippine (Benham) Rise and the eastern seaboard o prevent any "illegal and unlawful research and occupation" in the area.
"Everybody is naturally focused on the West Philippine Sea right now, but there is also a vast area we have to protect," Teodoro added.
Throughout his six-year term, former President Rodrigo Duterte mostly downplayed the Philippines' sea dispute with China and once called the 2016 Hague ruling that ruled in favor of the country a mere "piece of paper" he can "throw away."
Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Philippines pivoted toward pursuing deeper military ties with the United States and Japan, among other countries, and rebuked China for its illegal activities in the disputed waters.
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