Teodoro to youth: Defend truth, protect West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. has called on the Filipino youth to become defenders of truth and active partners in protecting the country’s sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), stressing that national resilience begins with an informed and united citizenry.

Speaking before students, youth leaders, government officials and security stakeholders during the Ilocano Dialogue on the West Philippine Sea in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, on Saturday, Teodoro said the country’s ability to withstand external threats depends not only on military strength but also on public awareness and national resolve.

“We will rely on you to be the future of our organization, be the future of the national economy, be the future public leaders,” Teodoro told participants.

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The dialogue organized by the Ilocos Norte Model Asean Meeting focused on strengthening public understanding of the WPS issue and the importance of national resilience.

Convergence efforts

Teodoro urged the youth to help raise public awareness on national security issues and counter disinformation through informed discussions anchored on facts and international law.

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“I think your convergence efforts should match the rapidity with which we build our national convergence and resilience,” he said.

Teodoro underscored the strategic importance of the South China Sea and WPS to the Philippines as an archipelagic state, emphasizing that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea remains the legal foundation of the country’s maritime entitlements. —PNA