MANILA: The Department of National Defence (DND) is strengthening the Philippines’ deterrence posture in the West Philippine Sea to complement diplomatic protests lodged by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) against China’s aggression.
Defence Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro made the point when asked during a roundtable discussion with the Inquirer how the DND supports the government’s diplomatic efforts to assert the country’s position in the West Philippine Sea.
Teodoro, who was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in 2023, said the military’s primary responsibility in the West Philippine Sea is to ensure that the country has sufficient deterrent capability, allowing its foreign policy to be pursued from a position of strength.
“How can you deal without some backbone?” he said, stressing the need for greater deterrence so the President can lead foreign policy “on a basis of closer parity.”
Teodoro said strengthening the country’s defense capabilities would reinforce the DFA’s position in diplomatic engagements.
He said one of the DND’s responsibilities is to empower the DFA and give it a stronger advocacy position.
Teodoro explained that the two agencies have different mandates and approaches but share the same goals in the West Philippine Sea: to “stop the incursions” and “reassert control.”
“So we do what we need to do, and the DFA does what it needs to do because the goal is the same,” he said.
He said achieving the government’s goals would take time because the issue had been neglected for a considerable period.
Despite China’s aggression, Teodoro said the country’s deterrence efforts are intended to prevent conflict rather than provoke it.
“That is the number one goal — to avoid conflict without compromising your territorial integrity and sovereignty, and that is deterrence,” he said.
Don McLain Gill, an international relations instructor at De La Salle University, said the DND has made clear that “we cannot let our guard down with China” because although “diplomacy may be a means, its success is never assured.”
As of October 2025, the government had filed more than 200 diplomatic protests against China. However, what has been condemned as harassment by the China Coast Guard against Filipinos within the country’s exclusive economic zone has persisted.
“What remains constant is the defense of the country against external threats,” Gill told the Inquirer. “Therefore, the DND will remain consistent in its mandate. No ifs or buts. No taking chances and no compromises.”
Gill said the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ sustained presence and deterrence efforts have kept China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea from escalating into kinetic conflict.
“If China had the choice, it would violently and illegally act against the Philippines,” he said.
“However, because of our deterrence — through our own national efforts, our alliance with the United States, and external partnerships — China recognizes its limitations.” - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
