US and Philippines marines prepare to terminate enemy's drone during a counter-landing live fire drills as part of the ongoing Balikatan in Aparri, Cagayan, northern Philippines Saturday, May 3, 2025. (Photo by Jeoffrey Maitem)

Manila Needs more Bases, Sensors, Assets to Secure WPS

Jeoffrey Maitem - : Oct 7, 2025 - : 1:29 pm

The Philippines has unveiled a new strategy to bolster deterrence against potential aggressors in the West Philippine Sea. Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong, Department of National Defense spokesperson, said recently plans are underway for the construction of strategic bases and procurement...

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The Philippines has unveiled a new strategy to bolster deterrence against potential aggressors in the West Philippine Sea.

Assistant Secretary Arsenio Andolong, Department of National Defense spokesperson, said recently plans are underway for the construction of strategic bases and procurement of modern equipment to fully secure the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s name for South China Sea waters that lie within its exclusive economic zone.

“We are moving our bases to areas where we can project our deterrence, all the way up to the limit of our exclusive economic zone," Andolong said, noting Manila is prioritizing strategic basing.

In addition, the country is beefing up maritime domain awareness capabilities by acquiring the needed sensors to allow government forces to see what is happening beyond the horizon.

According to Andolong, the measure is in line with the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC), Manila’s new strategy that is designed to protect the whole of the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines are closely watching China's actions after Beijing said last Friday it would establish a nature reserve at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

“We are watching what China is doing in Scarborough. And if you recall, in 1995, in Mischief Reef, they built a small structure that they called Fisherman's Haven. And in fact, they said anybody can use it. And so we allowed them to do that,” Armed Forces chief General Romeo Brawner said.

“Later on, they built it into an artificial island. A militarized island that is now equipped with missile systems, radar systems, a big airfield that could accommodate jet fighters and even cargo planes, and so on. So we do not want that to happen to Scarborough Shoal. We will not allow that to happen,” he added.

Brawner said that if China carries out similar actions in Scarborough Shoal, the Philippines may file a diplomatic protest to avoid a repeat of what happened in Mischief Reef.

Mischief Reef, part of the Philippines’ EEZ, has been occupied by China since the 1990s and now hosts a military base.

Armed-forces-of-the-philippines-afp / South-china-sea / Department-of-national-defense /

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