Boats patrol the disputed waters between China and Taiwan on April 2, 2025. —Photo by Hector Retamal | Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines—Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin clarified on Thursday that the Philippines is not heading to war, following the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) call to prepare soldiers in the country’s northern frontier in the event of an invasion of Taiwan.
The Palace official also emphasized that these preparations have long been discussed as a contingency measure in case of an invasion, assuring the public that there is no cause for concern.
READ: Palace: No need to worry over AFP alert on Taiwan situation
“This is nothing new since we have been discussing it for a long time due to the strong possibility of Mainland China crossing the channel between them and Taiwan to reclaim Taiwan,” Bersamin told reporters in an ambush interview in Malacañang.
“Filipinos shouldn’t be surprised because we’ve been doing this for a long time — preparedness for evacuation. There’s nothing to worry about… We are not going to war. Unless, of course, we are dragged into it,” he also said.
It is also important for the Philippines to be prepared for any possibility, even if there is no actual invasion.
“We’re not saying when that invasion will take place [or] whether it will take place at all, pero importante sa atin na hindi tayo natutulog sa pansitan (but the important thing is that we are not letting our guard down),” Bersamin said.
Ready to repatriate
As for the approximately 250,000 Filipinos currently residing in Taiwan, the official assured that government assets are in place should they need to be repatriated.
“We have every asset that is needed for that, maybe large evacuations; we need the confluence of air and water assets. We have ships and airplanes if needed,” he said in a mixture of English and Filipino.
On Tuesday, during the anniversary of the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), AFP chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner urged the troops to “prepare for any eventuality” amid growing regional tensions over China’s aggression.
“Do not be content with securing just the northern hemisphere up to Mavulis Island. Start planning for actions in case there is an invasion of Taiwan,” Brawner said in his speech.
“So we will extend our sphere of operations because, if something happens to Taiwan, inevitably we will be involved,” he added.
Taiwan broke away from the Chinese mainland in 1949 following its takeover by Mao Zedong’s communist forces.