EXPANDING military cooperation with allied nations should anchor the Philippines’ strategic posture in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a policy think tank said, citing rising tensions with China and the need for a stronger, alliance-driven defense framework.
On the eve of the annual Balikatan Exercises, Stratbase ADR Institute President Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit said deepening defense ties with like-minded partners is critical to safeguarding Philippine sovereignty and reinforcing a rules-based international order in the Indo-Pacific.
This year’s Balikatan exercises, considered the largest to date, will involve more than 17,000 troops from the Philippines and partner nations, including the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, France and New Zealand. Manhit said the scale and scope of the exercises signal a strengthening Philippine defense posture through credible partnerships.
“These exercises represent the correct path forward. They send a clear and unambiguous message that the Philippines and its partners are prepared to defend the rules-based international order against coercion, intimidation and unlawful claims,” he said.
Manhit added that expanded cooperation shows the Philippines is not acting in isolation but is anchored in a network of alliances with countries that uphold international law and support a free and open Indo-Pacific.
His remarks came amid what he described as China’s increasingly “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive” actions in the West Philippine Sea, as China continues to reject the 2016 ruling under the South China Sea Arbitration, which invalidated its sweeping claims in the South China Sea.
The Philippines is set to mark the 10th anniversary of the arbitral ruling in July, a milestone that also recalls the role of former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario in securing the decision.
“That victory is final and nonnegotiable,” Manhit said. “To dilute it — whether through silence or inaction, especially as we approach its 10th anniversary — is to erode the legal and moral clarity it firmly established.” He said the Philippines is effectively in a “state of active defense” given ongoing developments in the disputed waters.
“Public trust in engagements with China remains low because experience has repeatedly validated caution,” he said. “The Philippines must not bargain away its sovereign rights for promises that carry neither credibility nor accountability.” Stratbase said a sustained strategy anchored on alliance-building, military interoperability and adherence to international law remains the most viable path forward in protecting the country’s maritime entitlements and supporting long-term regional stability.
