SEA ENCOUNTER In this June 27, 2022 photo, Philippine Navy personnel display a Philippine flag during a trip to Sandy Cay,
a sandbar 7.4 kilometers from Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea, where a number of Chinese ships have been seen. INQUIRER file photo / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday stressed that the country is not a pawn in geopolitical tensions within its territories and that other countries should not question its build-up capabilities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
When asked about his stand on the China and WPS issue, Teodoro, newly appointed secretary of the Department of National Defense (DND), asserted that it is his job to develop a credible deterrence for the nation, which is not the responsibility of other countries.
“Just like we do not question the build-up of defensive and offensive capabilities of other countries, they should not question ours, and they should not tie up our build-up of our capabilities to any question of whether it is Taiwan or what not,” Teodoro said in an interview with news program ANC.
“Whether we partner with country X or Y in order to build up our own core strength is the question for the Philippines […] The Philippines is for the Philippines, and we leveraged that,” he added.
Teodoro also noted that other nations wanted to help the Philippines, viewing it as an “integral whole, stand-alone, standing strong with democratic values” country.
“The Philippines is a value proposition on its own self and not a pawn of anybody else in the geopolitical battle that’s raging within our area now,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said last February 18, that no Philippine territory would be lost following an incident between Chinese coast guards flashing a military-grade laser at the Philippine Coast Guard patrolling the Ayungin Shoal, WPS.
“The country has seen heightened geopolitical tensions that do not conform to our ideals of peace and threaten the security and stability of the country, the region, and the world. This country will not lose one inch of its territory,” Marcos said.
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Two buoys in WPS previously reported as removed still in place