Defense chief to youth: Defend truth, protect WPS

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr (DND file photo)

City of Batac—Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has called on Filipino youth to become defenders of truth and active partners in protecting the country's sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), stressing that national resilience begins with an informed and united citizenry.

Speaking before students, youth leaders, government officials, and security stakeholders during the Ilocano Dialogue on the West Philippine Sea in the City of Batac, Ilocos Norte on July 18, 2026, Teodoro said the country's ability to withstand external threats depends not only on military strength but also on public awareness and national resolve.

“We will rely on you to be the future of our organization, be the future of the national economy, be the future public leaders,” Teodoro told participants.

The dialogue, organized by the Ilocos Norte Model ASEAN Meeting (INMAM), focused on strengthening public understanding of the WPS issue and the importance of national resilience.

Teodoro urged the youth to help raise public awareness on national security issues and counter disinformation through informed discussions anchored on facts and international law.

“I think your convergence efforts should match the rapidity with which we build our national convergence and resilience,” he said.

Teodoro underscored the strategic importance of the South China Sea and the WPS to the Philippines as an archipelagic state, emphasizing that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) remains the legal foundation of the country's maritime entitlements.

“UNCLOS is existential for the territorial integrity of the Republic of the Philippines because of our archipelagic entitlements,” he added.

The Defense chief said building national resilience requires three key elements: awareness, resolve, and credible deterrence.

“After awareness, you have to build resolve, which is a different level of commitment,” he said.

“Lastly, we have to build deterrence, which is the most painful task because it needs a lot of resources. And if we're not able to build these converging things, then I'm afraid that our society will not be resilient and will be subject to bullying and appeasement.”

Teodoro also warned against the growing threat posed by disinformation campaigns targeting the Philippines, describing them as a wake-up call for Filipinos to become more vigilant in defending truth and responsible freedom.

He later engaged participants in an open forum on the WPS, national resilience, deterrence, disinformation, and the importance of safeguarding Philippine sovereignty and maritime rights.

In a separate statement, the Department of National Defense (DND) reaffirmed that the 2016 arbitral ruling invalidating China’s claims in the South China Sea remains the country's “living, unyielding anchor” of national sovereignty and maritime policy.

“The award stands not merely as a historical milestone, but it is our primary legal mandate that provides absolute clarity under international law... establishing that our maritime rights are indisputable and legally locked,” the DND said.

The department said 27 countries have called for respect for the arbitral ruling, while 17 have explicitly expressed support for the Philippines' legal victory.

The DND also vowed to continue deploying Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) assets to protect the country's maritime zones and expose what it described as illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities in Philippine waters.

“The DND and AFP will not waver, back down, or yield an inch of our territory. We will continue to build a credible deterrent that honors this victory, secures our seas, and ensures a peaceful, rules-based order in our West Philippine Sea,” it said.

The Philippines recently marked the 10th anniversary of the landmark ruling, which China refuses to honor and continues its build up in disputed territories and the harassment of Filipino vessels. (Darryl John Esguerra with Priam F. Nepomuceno/PNA)