MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. on Friday warned that any attempt by China to tow away the grounded BRP Sierra Madre by force would be considered an “act of war” against the Philippines.
Teodoro was responding to a report by a Manila-based Chinese language newspaper that China was considering removing the warship from Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal as one of 10 possible “countermeasures” against the Philippines following increasingly strained bilateral ties over the maritime conflict between the two countries.
“Any threat against BRP Sierra Madre will be taken very seriously because it will be an act against a military vessel of the Republic of the Philippines,” Teodoro said in an online interview with reporters.
READ: Teodoro: China’s attempt to tow BRP Sierra Madre by force an act of war
Supply cutoff
The ship, now rusted and decrepit, was intentionally run aground at Ayungin to serve as a military outpost in the West Philippine Sea in 1999, four years after China occupied Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, which, like Ayungin, is within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
Teodoro emphasized that even “an attempt” against the World War II-era vessel, or “if something happens involving the use of force,” would still be considered “an act of war.”
READ: West PH Sea: AFP rejects China claim it OK’d BRP Sierra Madre resupply
Another reported countermeasure was to halt the resupply of the troops on the Sierra Madre, who rely on fuel, food, water, medicines and other resources delivered by sea. It added that if the Philippines “forcibly breaks through Chinese blockades, China will take strong measures to block them.”
The 10 measures were outlined in a report on Friday by the Chinese Commercial News, which noted that there was no official confirmation that these “potential options” were being considered or had been approved by Beijing.
READ: AFP mission aborted due to Chinese ships
Other measures
It quoted “well-informed sources” saying that the “Chinese side” was “gradually losing patience with recent Philippine actions and related statements concerning China,” a reference to strident exchanges between Philippine officials and Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan and his embassy related to the maritime dispute between the two countries.
The possible countermeasures include banning “anti-China” Filipino politicians and their immediate families from entering any Chinese territory, freezing their assets in China and prohibiting Chinese entities from conducting business with them; and publicly disclosing their commercial and financial dealings with China.
The others are restricting Chinese citizens from traveling to the Philippines; tightening labor policies on Filipino workers in Hong Kong and Macao; arresting more Filipinos illegally working in China; closing certain consulates in China, including in Hong Kong, if Manila approves the establishment of an additional Taiwan office in Cebu.
The proposed economic sanctions include cutting off fuel and fertilizer supply and restricting exports of urgently needed and essential goods to the Philippines.
Teodoro clarified that an offensive act against a Philippine warship should not be confused with the existence of a “state of war.”
“It’s not a state of war … but an act of war because it is an offensive act against a Philippine warship,” he said. Only the President and Congress could declare a state of war, he said.
Under the Constitution, Congress has the power to declare the existence of a state of war by a two-thirds vote of both houses in joint session, voting separately.
Invoking the MDT
Asked whether an attempt by China to board the Sierra Madre could trigger the Philippines’ Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the United States, Teodoro said the possibility remained open, although the decision would ultimately rest with President Marcos.
He emphasized that such an incident could, rather than necessarily would, lead to the invocation of the 1951 treaty, which commits the Philippines and the United States to act in accordance with their respective constitutional processes to respond to an armed attack against either party in the Pacific.
Several US officials, including secretaries of state and defense, and American diplomats have said that Washington would stand by its “ironclad” commitments under the treaty.
Washington has affirmed that the treaty covers armed attacks against Philippine armed forces, public vessels and aircraft, including those of the Philippine Coast Guard, anywhere in the South China Sea.
‘Goodwill’ as weapon
Asked to comment on the two proposed economic sanctions, Teodoro said the country’s dependence on China could be used against it.
“It just goes to show you that whatever supposed goodwill that they are doing is a weapon and they are weaponizing it,” he said.
Teodoro urged the government and private sector to strengthen domestic industries and diversify supply chains, particularly for critical infrastructure.
“We cannot place complete trust in a country that claims our territory,” he said.
Teodoro said the Philippines needed to reduce its dependence on Chinese products and suppliers, warning that economic relationships could be used as leverage during disputes over sovereignty and territorial rights.
The defense chief also urged companies to diversify their sources of raw materials and finished products instead of relying heavily on a single country.
“We are constantly being threatened subtly and now more overtly,” he said.
Amid the continuing tensions, Teodoro renewed his call to overhaul the country’s military modernization law, warning that the existing framework was hampering efforts to secure sufficient funding for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The defense establishment had been “stuck” to receiving the relatively small P50 billion allocation for military upgrades because of the modernization law, Teodoro said.
He said the current spending system was “restrictive and no longer suited to present realities.”
Teodoro called for a stronger domestic defense industry, saying the Philippines needed to develop basic industries that could support the local production of military equipment, citing South Korea and India as examples.
The recent angry exchanges between Filipino officials and Chinese diplomats followed Jing’s remarks on Oct. 15. He was responding to reporters’ questions about a statement by Teodoro who said that China was the “lone troublemaker” in Southeast Asia.
Jing said this was “nonsense” as the region was peaceful and that it was fortunate to have a neighbor like China. Jing added, however, that China “may easily win” against the Philippines but chose not to use force because it was peace-loving.
The President regarded what he said as a threat and an undiplomatic statement. On Monday, Foreign Secretary Teresa Lazaro summoned Jing to protest against his remarks.
Some Philippine lawmakers saw Jing’s remarks as a threat and several sought to declare him as persona non grata and to have him expelled.
The Chinese embassy retaliated in a series of social media posts, saying that Filipino politicians with personal political ambitions were undermining Philippine-China relations.
It challenged lawmakers to “stop bluffing” and declare Jing persona non grata. “Just do it,” the Chinese embassy said. INQ
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