Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. has urged young Filipinos to view the ongoing West Philippine Sea (WPS) territorial dispute as a critical struggle to secure food and energy for coming generations.
Speaking at the launch of the Bantay Dagat Youth Ambassadors – West Philippine Sea Edition Caravan in San Juan City on Friday, August 28, Teodoro cautioned that rapid population growth and shrinking global supplies make maritime protection an essential priority.
He emphasized that as an archipelagic state, 80% of the Philippines’ territory is maritime domain, covering 2.4 million square kilometers.
Teodoro pointed out that unilateral claims by China disregard the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) alongside the landmark 2016 Arbitral Award.
He underscored that the Philippines occupies a unique strategic position as the only ASEAN nation bordering both the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
To address foreign encroachment, the defense chief highlighted the country’s expanding defense network, including signed Status of Visiting Forces Agreements (SOVFAs) with Canada and New Zealand, pending Senate concurrence for a similar pact with France, and ongoing talks with the United Kingdom.
During his address to student advocates and local leaders, Teodoro framed the issue around future resource security:
“Where will you get the fuel to feed yourselves in the future, to run your gadgets in the future, if you do not have the resources under the sea?” Teodoro asked.
“As populations expand in the world, as resources grow more scarce, as needs grow more scarce, there is a temptation to expand and that we cannot allow for your safety in the future,” he noted.
“You cannot stop the growth of human needs, the growth of society. You can’t stop evolution,” Teodoro stated. “What you can stop is somebody else taking what should be yours to support yourself and give it to somebody else, and to me that’s how best you should frame the problem set in front of you.”
“You can see that these alliances are for shared interests,” Teodoro added regarding international partnerships. “And what are these interests? That is to secure the maritime domain for supply chains of like-minded countries who feel threatened by expansionism in their own borders.”
The event, hosted by the Rotary Club of Chinatown Circle alongside the Philippine Navy, brought together key defense officials including National Security Adviser Eduardo Oban Jr. and Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission Executive Director Benjamin Acorda Jr.
Discussions covered wide-ranging national security concerns, from digital foreign interference to illegal offshore gaming entities.