Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. is confident that the Philippines will not agree to de-escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea based solely on China’s terms.

In a television interview on Monday, Teodoro said he is certain that the Department of Foreign Affairs is “conscious of those parameters that it cannot exceed.”

“I have no reason to doubt that such parameters were not considered in reaching this arrangement or agreement with China,” Teodoro asserted when asked to comment on China’s foreign ministry’s remarks that one of the agreed arrangements was for the Philippines to seek permission whenever conducting resupply operations for the troops at the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

Teodoro also refused to comment when asked how the government will conduct the rotational and resupply missions in Ayungin Shoal now that Manila and Beijing reached an understanding of maintaining peace in the area.

“We'll have to wait for the National Maritime Council to convene and for the DFA to relay to us what exactly has been agreed upon. I don’t have any information at this time, so it would be premature for me to comment,” he said.

Teodoro sees bilateral committee meetings between China and the Philippines as a potential means to de-escalate the heightened tensions in the WPS, particularly in Ayungin Shoal.

“I mean, probably this is another venue where things can be settled without things spreading further and leading to an armed conflict,” he said.

Aside from building up the credible deterrence of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Teodoro said he is prioritizing the push for the passage of a measure seeking to reform the Department of National Defense.

“We want to see Congress fast-track the enactment of the DND transformation bill, copies of which I have given to both the Senate President and the Speaker of the House, as well as the leaderships of both chambers, so that we can provide the proper managerial and strategic support to all the agencies that fall under us,” he said.

Teodoro lamented that the DND is one of the smallest agencies in terms of manpower resources.

He noted the need for the DND to “level up” so it can manage the introduction of the deterrent capabilities and implement the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept, as well as other measures—countering disruptive and information operations against the country “sustainably, professionally, and competently.”

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año echoed Teodoro’s position.

“We will not ask permission from them,” he said.

Año reacted to China's foreign ministry's remarks that the Philippines should seek permission for resupply operations at the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, part of an understanding reached during the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea held in Manila on 2 July.