DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has warned that the Philippines is facing growing threats from foreign maligning influence.
Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum, Teodoro said the country’s security landscape has evolved from one focused mainly on internal threats to one that combines external defense with efforts to counter foreign interference.
“There is no sustainable external defense without internal peace and stability,” he said, explaining that internal and external security have become increasingly interconnected.
Teodoro said foreign negative influence is manifested not only through activities in the West Philippine Sea but through illegal operations inside the country.
He cited cases involving substandard steel production, labor exploitation and illegal business activities linked to foreign nationals, saying such operations can serve as hubs for other criminal activities that undermine national security.
“If we only look at the substandard steel, we miss the bigger problem,” Teodoro said.
He said the government is responding by expanding the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) presence in strategic areas across the country, particularly in coastal and maritime zones.
Teodoro said a stronger military presence will not only improve the country’s ability to defend its territory, but also help detect and deter illegal fishing, illegal mining, deforestation and other unlawful activities that often involve foreign participants.
He said the Philippines’ geography as an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands makes sustained military presence and strategic basing essential to national security.
He cited the need to continue modernizing the military through the acquisition of more air, sea and land assets for deterrence.
He said modernization should include investments in logistics, surveillance and support systems, noting that combat platforms alone are insufficient without the equipment and infrastructure needed to sustain operations.
Teodoro emphasized the importance of developing a domestic defense industry, although he acknowledged that doing so would require investments in power, industrial capacity, technology transfer and intellectual property protection.
He said the Philippines continues to receive defense assistance from allies, including the United States, Japan, Australia and European countries, through grants and other forms of military cooperation.
