Manhit backs Balikatan drills, warns vs joint exploration with China

Stratbase Institute president and CEO Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit on Sunday expressed his “unequivocal support” for the 2026 Balikatan exercises, which will bring together more than 17,000 troops from the Philippines and partner nations, including the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, France and New Zealand.

Manhit said the exercises “represent the correct path forward” in addressing ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

He described the drills as a “clear and unambiguous message…that the Philippines and its partners are prepared to defend the rules-based international order against coercion, intimidation and unlawful claims.”

“It affirms that we are not isolated, and that our national security is anchored in strong alliances with nations that uphold international law and share our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he added.

Manhit’s remarks come amid what he described as China’s continued illegal, coercive and aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea, as Beijing continues to ignore the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its sweeping claims in the South China Sea. The ruling is set to mark its 10th anniversary in July.

Meanwhile, Manila has revived talks with Beijing on a proposed joint energy exploration in the disputed waters, amid concerns over energy security linked to tensions in the Middle East.

Manhit noted the timing of the renewed discussions, pointing out that Stratbase was previously led by former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario, whose leadership helped secure the 2016 arbitral award.

“That victory is final and non-negotiable,” he said. “To dilute it—whether through silence, inaction or ill-considered concessions, especially as the country approaches the 10th anniversary of the 2016 arbitral award—is to erode the legal and moral clarity it firmly established.”

He warned that pursuing joint exploration or similar arrangements with China would be “strategically unsound.”

“Such proposals open the door to eroding our sovereign rights, weakening the legal standing of the arbitral ruling, and legitimizing unlawful behavior,” Manhit said.

Instead, he said the Philippines is effectively in a “state of active defense” given the situation in the West Philippine Sea, and that government policy must reflect this reality.

“Public trust in engagements with China remains low because experience has repeatedly validated caution. The Philippines must not bargain away its sovereign rights for promises that carry neither credibility nor accountability,” he said.