By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The landmark 2016 Arbitral Award on the West Philippine Sea became the catalyst for transforming the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) into a modern military capable of operating across multiple domains, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Friday.
Speaking at the Stratbase Institute forum, “A Decade of the Arbitral Award: Credible Deterrence in Defense of the West Philippine Sea,” Teodoro said the historic ruling reshaped the country’s defense strategy by encouraging the AFP to move beyond its traditional internal security orientation toward a broader external defense posture.
“The arbitral award inspired the Armed Forces to evolve from a mono-theater organization into a multi-domain, multi-theater force,” Teodoro said. “It has also united like-minded nations that recognize the importance of defending international law and freedom of navigation.”
He explained that while a mono-theater military focuses on a single operational environment, a multi-domain force integrates capabilities across land, sea, air, cyberspace, and space to address emerging security challenges.
The July 12, 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated China’s expansive “nine-dash line” claim over the South China Sea and upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Despite China’s continued rejection of the ruling, Teodoro said the decision has become a powerful legal and strategic foundation for the Philippines and its allies.
He pointed to this year’s Balikatan military exercises as proof of the award’s enduring influence. Conducted from April 20 to May 8, the drills involved more than 17,000 troops from the Philippines, the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and France, making it the largest Balikatan exercise ever held.
“The strength of the arbitral award lies in the power of international law,” Teodoro said. “Its significance extends beyond the present generation and will continue to guide the country’s defense of its maritime rights.”
The defense chief stressed that the ruling safeguards not only Philippine interests but also the integrity of UNCLOS by resisting attempts to undermine the rules-based international order.
He also said the decision has deepened public awareness of the country’s maritime entitlements and reinforced the Philippines’ identity as an archipelagic nation whose future depends on protecting its territorial waters.
“We cannot compromise or surrender the rights that international law has already recognized,” Teodoro emphasized.
Meanwhile, Stratbase Institute President Victor Andres Manhit said the Philippines must continue strengthening its legal and strategic gains from the arbitral victory.
He noted that the country failed to fully capitalize on the ruling in the years immediately following the decision, as some officials publicly dismissed its significance.
“History has shown that weakening confidence in our legal victory only benefited those seeking to challenge our sovereign rights,” Manhit said.
He called for sustained investments in defense modernization and closer cooperation among government agencies, the private sector, civil society, and international partners to preserve the gains achieved over the past decade.
Manhit also highlighted the Philippines’ expanding defense partnerships, noting that the country now maintains Visiting Forces Agreements (VFAs) with six nations—the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, and France, the latter becoming the first European nation to enter into such an agreement with the Philippines.
He said these partnerships reinforce the country’s collective security strategy and strengthen efforts to uphold peace, stability, and the rules-based order in the West Philippine Sea.
ia/xf
