A POLICY group has warned that the Philippines faces intensifying security challenges in the West Philippine Sea and the broader Indo-Pacific region, and stressed the need to strengthen military capabilities and deepen defense partnerships with allied nations.
Speaking during the forum “Building Credible Deterrence Through a Multi-Domain Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization,” Stratbase ADR Institute president Victor Andres Manhit said the country continues to face efforts to undermine the 2016 arbitral ruling that upheld the Philippines’ maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea and invalidated China’s expansive claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Monhit said the Philippines has in recent years faced sustained “gray-zone” challenges across multiple domains, including water cannon attacks and ramming incidents at sea, dangerous aerial maneuvers, cyberattacks, and information warfare operations.
“These challenges are expected to intensify in 2026,” he said, citing what he described as an increasingly volatile and unstable global security environment.
He said public support remains strong for the administration’s policies in the West Philippine Sea, with 73 percent of Filipinos backing efforts to assert the country’s maritime rights in accordance with international law.
He added that 65 percent of Filipinos support the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard, while 51 percent favor joint patrols and military exercises with allies and 33 percent support additional defense agreements with partner nations.
Manhit said the Philippines has increased defense cooperation with like-minded countries in recent years through expanded military engagements and exercises.
The country conducted 20 bilateral and multilateral maritime exercises last year involving the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, France, New Zealand, and India, the highest number in its history.
The Stratbase president also cited the continued expansion of multilateral engagements this year, including the recently concluded Balikatan exercises.
He emphasized the need for a long-term strategic roadmap to strengthen national resilience, protect economic sovereignty, and guide policymaking beyond electoral cycles.
“There is a need for a modern, multi-domain Armed Forces of the Philippines that can deter, detect, and respond to threats across land, maritime, air, cyber, and other unexplored but crucial domains such as underwater,” Manhit said.
He added that the Philippines would need “capable and reliable partners” to accelerate the modernization of its military and strengthen deterrence capabilities.
