DND Secretary Gibo Teodoro, flag of China (Facebook. Unsplash)

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. admitted that the Philippines "needs" China in the economic front, but regretted the "problem" being caused by the latter's territorial claims. 

Teodoro had this to say during the DND's 2024 budget deliberation Thursday morning, Sept. 7 before the House Committee on Appropriations. 

In his interpellation during the hearing, Makabayan bloc member Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel asked the DNDc chief on what was the country’s "way forward" in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). 

"Ako po ay very, very cognizant na kailangan ng independent foreign policy. Dahil ang Tsina po, kailangan po natin at napakalaking merkado niyan (I'm very, very cognizant of the need for an independent foreign policy. Because we need China, that's a very big market)," Teodoro said. 

"Pero kung patas po ang laban, wala po silang inaakong teritoryo natin, di sana po wala tayong problema. Yun lang naman po ang atin (But if we're playing it fair and they're not claiming our territory, then we would have no problem)," he said. 

China, a country of over 1.4 billion people, has been embroiled in a territorial dispute with the Philippines for years now in the South China Sea. 

China imposes historical claim over practically the entire South China Sea, including features within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the WPS. 

At any rate, Teodoro said Beijing's recent publication of its new 10-dash line claim has led to additional support for the Philippines' position. 

In July 2016, the Philippine Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, Netherlands ruled in favor of the Philippines in its case against China's expansive maritime claims.  

The PCA ruling invalidated China's previous nine-dash line claim.