The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) lashed out against China’s latest accusations that the “Philippines is a genuine troublemaker,” saying the country is only focused on building credible deterrence to avoid war.

AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. emphasized that the Philippines' approach is rooted in a defensive strategy and responsible military modernization.

“Well. Hindi tayo ang source ng gulo sa West Philippine Sea. In fact, ang ginagawa lang natin ay pinapalakas natin ang Armed Forces of the Philippines nang sa gayon ay magkaroon tayo ng credible deterrence dahil ayaw natin magkaroon ng gyera (we are not the source of conflict in the West Philippine Sea. In fact, what we are doing is strengthening the Armed Forces of the Philippines so that we can have credible deterrence, because we do not want to go to war),” Brawner told reporters in an ambush interview aboard the Indian Navy’s INS Shakti (A57) on Thursday evening.

Brawner's remarks come days after China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang labeled the Philippines as a “genuine troublemaker” and “creator of danger” in the South China Sea, a claim that Manila flatly rejects.

“Kailangan natin ng malakas na deterrence (We need strong deterrence),” he added.

“And the way to do that is, number one: dapat palakasin natin ang AFP through modernization. At pangalawa, kailangan mag-partner tayo sa mga like-minded nations, at ito ang ginagawa natin dito with Indian Navy (we must strengthen the Armed Forces of the Philippines through modernization. And second, we need to partner with like-minded nations, and this is what we are doing with the Indian Navy).”

Brawner announced that, for the first time, the Philippine Navy will conduct bilateral maritime patrols with the Indian Navy in the West Philippine Sea next week.

The upcoming bilateral maritime sail, he added, is a direct outcome of the Raisina Dialogue 2025, which took place in New Delhi, India, from March 17 to 19, 2025.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is scheduled to embark on a state visit to India — the first by a Philippine president since former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s visit in 2007.

“Next week, habang nasa India ang Pangulo ay magkakaroon tayo ng bilateral maritime cooperative activity with India. So itong ating Philippine Navy at itong tatlong barko ng India (while the President is in India, we will conduct a bilateral maritime cooperative activity with India. So our Philippine Navy and the three Indian ships—they will sail together in the West Philippine Sea),” Brawner said.

The AFP chief also dismissed China’s claim that the Philippines is playing a show of force with its allied nations.

“I disagree. This is a show of unity, a show of solidarity among like-minded nations because we all have the same values. We value the free and open Indo-Pacific,” he stressed.

Capability build-up

Brawner underscored that the Philippines has the sovereign right to strengthen its military, just like any other country.

“Tayo nga hindi tayo nakikialam sa armed forces nila kaya wag din sila makialam sa atin dahil karapatan ng bawat bansa na palakasin ang kanyang armed forces at ‘yan po ang ginagawa natin ngayon (We don’t interfere with their armed forces, so they shouldn’t interfere with ours. Every country has the right to strengthen its own armed forces, and that’s exactly what we’re doing now),” he said.

“We are making our armed forces strong so that we will be able to establish a credible deterrence, so that other countries that would like to attack us will think twice. So we need to upgrade our military,” he added.

Brawner noted that numerous countries are eager to partner with the Philippines, including the United States, Japan, Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, and now, India.

“We are not troublemakers in the region. We are just defending our country, our rights, and our future,” Brawner emphasized.

The Philippines has been actively modernizing its armed forces amid repeated acts of aggression by Chinese vessels in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), including the use of water cannons, dangerous maneuvers, and obstruction of resupply missions to Philippine outposts in the West Philippine Sea.

For his part, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said the country is not targeting any specific nation with its military buildup.

“We are not actually pertaining to any country or trying to pinpoint any country. Our defense capability build-up will always serve our national interests,” Año stressed.