MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Friday called for increasing the Philippines’ defense spending to as much as 4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), saying the country needs to build a stronger military to deter external threats as tensions with China persist in the West Philippine Sea.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Stratbase Institute’s commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the landmark 2016 arbitral award in Makati City, Teodoro said defense spending should gradually increase “to at least 2 to 3 to 4 percent of GDP” to support the country’s modernization and deterrence efforts.
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The Philippines currently spends an estimated 1.3 to 1.4 percent of its GDP on defense.
Congress appropriated P305.87 billion for the Department of National Defense (DND) in 2026.
Teodoro acknowledged that reaching the proposed level of spending would require the government to reprioritize its budget.
“We definitely need to realign. It’s not might. We need to, because the budget is a finite item,” he said.
Asked where the government could source additional funding, Teodoro deferred to the country’s economic managers.
“That is up to somebody else. All I’m saying is we need to increase,” he said.
The defense chief said the Philippines should focus on strengthening its own military capabilities even as it expands defense cooperation with allies.
“The basis really is to build our own internal deterrence mechanisms as quickly as possible,” he said.
He added that the Armed Forces of the Philippines would increase patrols not only in the West Philippine Sea but also in the Philippine Rise and the Pacific Ocean.
“We will increase our patrols in all areas,” Teodoro said. “Mind you, even in the Pacific Ocean and in the Philippine Rise we need to do that, because once we are remiss in that, then somebody else may claim ownership over it.”
Teodoro added that the military would need additional naval infrastructure to accommodate new ships and other assets arriving under the Armed Forces modernization program.
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“It’s the bigger platforms that we have. It was probably 30 to 40 years overdue that we have new naval facilities,” he said.
In his speech during the same event, Teodoro also said the 2016 decision has become firmly embedded in the country’s legal position and enjoys broad public support.
“I do not think that any leader who goes against the arbitral award will have the mandate of the people,” he said. /jpv
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