By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday highlighted the need for a “strong defense backbone” in order for a country to earn international respect.
A DND statement late Wednesday said Teodoro gave this message during the September General Membership Meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) in Makati City.
“Philippine resilience per se on a national defense basis is essential. No country in the world is taken seriously at face value, no matter how diplomatic you want to be, without a strong defense backbone,” Teodoro told the attendees.
“Strong deterrent backbone for that matter,” he added. “The smaller the country, the stronger the deterrence.”
Teodoro said the growing number of visiting forces agreements (VFAs) the Philippines has with other countries is “the highest expression of support for the Arbitral Award,” referring to the landmark 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration favoring the Philippines’ case against China in connection with the West Philippine Sea issue.
The Philippines presently has three existing VFAs with the United States, Australia and Japan, with four more underway —with New Zealand, Canada, France and the United Kingdom.
The DND said the AmCham meeting, with the theme “Safeguarding the Philippines in a Changing Geopolitical Landscape,” provided a venue for an open dialogue between the defense sector and the business community on advancing a secure, stable, and rules-based environment for development. (PNA)
