Gibo: Hands off Sierra Madre

Any use of force against the BRP Sierra Madre would be an act of war against the Philippines, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. warned Friday, responding to a published report that Beijing is weighing moves against the grounded vessel.

“Any threat against the BRP Sierra Madre will be taken very seriously because it will be an act against a military vessel of the Republic of the Philippines,” Teodoro said in a virtual press briefing.

He said he had not yet read the article, but the report should be taken as a threat.

The report, published by a Manila-based Chinese media outlet, said Beijing is considering the removal of the Sierra Madre as one of several possible countermeasures against the Philippines, which would include economic sanctions.

Teodoro, however, carefully made the distinction from a state of war.

“It is not a state of war but an act of war,” he said, asking that the media quote him accurately.

“Only the President and Congress can declare the existence of a state of war, so I have no power to declare it. But an act of war is different,” he said.

Teodoro said he expected such a threat from China, noting that the country has no unofficial media.

Unrelenting threat

“We are constantly being subtly threatened, and now more overtly. These threats, China has no unofficial media, all of it is censored. Even the foreigners who are allowed to blog from China are restricted and controlled. So everything has to pass through the Chinese master. We should expect that to happen, particularly if we lay the ground for it to happen,” Teodoro said.

He said the report showed that Beijing’s supposed goodwill was being used as a weapon, and this should push the Philippines to build a more resilient economy, strengthen its industries, and fortify the country.

“Especially in critical infrastructure, we cannot give blind trust to a country that claims our territory. At the end of the day, it can be weaponized, as it is being threatened to do,” he said.

He asked Filipinos how they would respond: “Will we accept this as a challenge to our Filipino identity, or should we just forget about our territory? At the end of the day, it’s a fundamental choice.”

The defense chief said such threats were likely prepared well in advance, as Beijing built up its ability to impose sanctions.

“For example, if they had not expanded, or if we had not opened up so completely, especially our retail economy to them, could they threaten us over something relating to our national territory and sovereign rights?” he said.

He added the same applied to the strength of the country’s armed forces.

“We are not saying that it will work on us, because we cannot accept that, but it would have been easier to face this if we had prepared. So this is a lesson,” he said.