NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
Teodoro: Filipinos Must Unite To Protect PH Seas
Photo credit: DND
A decade after the Philippines secured its landmark legal victory in the West Philippine Sea, Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. urged Filipinos to stand together in protecting the country's sovereign rights and maritime entitlements.
Speaking at the Stratbase Institute's conference marking the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award, Teodoro said the ruling should not be remembered as just a historic legal victory, but as a continuing guide in defending the country's interests and preserving the rules-based international order.
Teodoro stressed that defending the country's maritime territory requires more than stronger military assets. He said building a credible deterrent also depends on an informed, united, and determined Filipino people who understand the importance of protecting the nation's seas.
"Yakapin natin ang lahat ng ating karagatan."
The defense chief emphasized that every Filipino has a role to play in safeguarding the country's maritime rights, particularly as tensions continue in the West Philippine Sea. He said national unity is essential in ensuring that the Philippines can effectively protect its exclusive economic zone and other maritime entitlements recognized under international law.
The conference comes as the country commemorates the 10th anniversary of the July 12, 2016 Arbitral Award, a landmark ruling issued under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The tribunal invalidated China's sweeping "nine-dash line" claim and affirmed the Philippines' sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone, including parts of the West Philippine Sea. Although China continues to reject the ruling, the award remains legally binding under international law.
This year's conference gathered government officials, diplomats, defense experts, academics, and civil society leaders to discuss how the Philippines can build on its legal victory by strengthening national defense, strategic partnerships, and public awareness amid evolving security challenges in the region.
Teodoro's message echoed the government's broader push to combine military modernization with a whole-of-nation approach in defending the country's maritime rights, emphasizing that protecting the West Philippine Sea is not solely the responsibility of the armed forces but of every Filipino.
Speaking at the Stratbase Institute's conference marking the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Award, Teodoro said the ruling should not be remembered as just a historic legal victory, but as a continuing guide in defending the country's interests and preserving the rules-based international order.
Teodoro stressed that defending the country's maritime territory requires more than stronger military assets. He said building a credible deterrent also depends on an informed, united, and determined Filipino people who understand the importance of protecting the nation's seas.
"Yakapin natin ang lahat ng ating karagatan."
The defense chief emphasized that every Filipino has a role to play in safeguarding the country's maritime rights, particularly as tensions continue in the West Philippine Sea. He said national unity is essential in ensuring that the Philippines can effectively protect its exclusive economic zone and other maritime entitlements recognized under international law.
The conference comes as the country commemorates the 10th anniversary of the July 12, 2016 Arbitral Award, a landmark ruling issued under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The tribunal invalidated China's sweeping "nine-dash line" claim and affirmed the Philippines' sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone, including parts of the West Philippine Sea. Although China continues to reject the ruling, the award remains legally binding under international law.
This year's conference gathered government officials, diplomats, defense experts, academics, and civil society leaders to discuss how the Philippines can build on its legal victory by strengthening national defense, strategic partnerships, and public awareness amid evolving security challenges in the region.
Teodoro's message echoed the government's broader push to combine military modernization with a whole-of-nation approach in defending the country's maritime rights, emphasizing that protecting the West Philippine Sea is not solely the responsibility of the armed forces but of every Filipino.
Jul 10, 2026
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