Philippines Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro speaks during an interview at the IISS Shangri‑La Dialogue in Singapore, May 30, 2026. (Department of National Defense – Philippines)
Philippine Secretary of National Defence, Gilbert Teodoro Jr., leveraged the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue to firmly position Manila to guard the “autonomy of ASEAN member states”. The Philippine delegation emphasised its role to protect rules-based order and solidify international alliances.
During his address titled “Evolving Security Partnerships in a Fragmenting World” on May 31, he was direct about what Manila would resist. “[I]n our capacity as chair of the ADMM (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting) and the ADMM Plus, we will strive to preserve and enhance our internal cohesion and resist external attempts to speak for ASEAN,” he said. He pledged continued adherence to UNCLOS, emphasising that the Philippines would act as a strategic sentinel and guaranteed “to safeguard maritime liberty”.
On the sidelines, Secretary Teodoro also met the US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth. Both ministers reiterated their ironclad commitment, especially to the Mutual Defence Treaty, in the face of growing threats in the Indo-Pacific region. Moreover, both countries agreed to promote peace using international frameworks in the region.
Shortly afterwards, Secretary Teodoro met his Australian and Singaporean counterparts to advance and solidify defence ties. Singaporean Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing affirmed his country’s total support for Manila’s stance.
The dialogue followed closely on the heels of a major maritime cooperative activity between the Philippines and the US on May 30. The five-day joint naval and air exercise between the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) occurred in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the South China Sea. The drill focused on maritime law enforcement and search-and-rescue exercises.
These actions align with the ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn speech titled “Priorities within Asia’s Shifting Strategic Landscape,” in which he echoed the call for “an open, inclusive, and rules-based regional order and architecture anchored in international law, the UN Charter and the ASEAN Charter”.
Secretary Teodoro concluded by underlining Manila’s commitment to safeguard Southeast Asia’s security architecture amid intensifying geopolitical friction. His remarks echoed a newly coined concept, the “Archipelagic Sentinel and a Guardian of the Freedom of the Seas” vision, that positions the country not as aligning with Western powers but as an independent actor whose interests happen to converge with theirs.
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