“The Philippines should utilize its expansive network in securing the freedom of the West Philippine Sea and in countering the aggressive behavior of Chinese maritime militia,” said Stratbase ADRI president Victor Andres Manhit in a statement. Read more:
This emerged during a recent virtual forum conducted by the Makati-based think tank Stratbase ADRI Institute, an independent, international research organization focused on the in-depth analysis of economic, social, political and strategic issues influencing the Indo-Pacific region.
Manhit added: “The people must choose a candidate with strategic thinking to appraise the complex dynamics of regional geopolitics and the respective leaders in the international arena. The next President must always be sensitive to the true will of the people.”The maritime security issue in the West Philippine Sea remains a persistent and primary concern for the Philippines, and the next president should handle this issue decisively and firmly, Manhit said.
Colby stated that, “If China really wanted to reliably be able to coerce Manila, it would want the ability to use direct military force, and the reality is that China is going to have that ability.” Concurrently, Stratbase trustee and program convenor, Dr. Renato de Castro, author of a Stratbase ADRi special paper titled, “A National Security Strategy for the 17th Philippine President: The Case for A Limited Balancing,” said the Philippines was now at a crossroads on whether to continue the appeasement policy or adopt one of “limited hard balancing.”