Is Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. rescinding defense agreements made by the Philippines with countries that do not support its position in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)?

The question remains unanswered but the defense chief confirmed that a performance review on all the defense agreements made by the DND with other countries is currently ongoing to determine which ones “do not have benefit to our defense and foreign policy position.”

“We have a host of existing defense agreements. Some are with countries whose interests may not necessarily align with us. So we will review how to move forward with these agreements,” he said on Wednesday, April 30.

According to Teodoro, the DND has around 50 defense agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOU) with other nations.

The review includes a wide range of partnerships made by the DND: from international alliances to logistics, infrastructure, strategic reviews, and defense education, among others.

“These are being reviewed on what the benefits are rather than the cost of managing them, or if a country, theoretically, I'm not singling out anyone, is really misaligned with us, then it’s useless to continue having a defense agreement,” he pointed out.

Agreements with China, according to Teodoro, "could be" one of those that are subjected to the DND's performance review. 

Tensions between the Philippines and China remain high in the WPS after the China Coast Guard (CCG) declared last week that they have seized Sandy Cay, a sandbar that is near Pag-asa Island in the Kalayaan Island Group.

A maritime operation was immediately conducted by the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine National Police-Maritime Group to debunk the CCG’s claims.

Read: PH holds maritime operation on Sandy Cay to dispel Chinese claim

Teodoro appealed to the Filipino people to “not give so much weight” into the alleged propaganda being spread by the People’s Republic of China regarding their claims in the South China Sea.

“As I said before, they propagandize and they don’t communicate. There’s a big difference between propagandizing and communicating. Let us judge them by what they do and not what they say,” he said.

And for Teodoro, the DND’s alliance-building measures are now “clearly defined by countries with similar interests,” particularly those that support the Philippines’ interests in the Indo-Pacific. 

No deadline has been set when the review of the agreements will be completed.

Asked if, after the review, the DND would terminate deals with countries that are not supportive of the country’s position in the WPS, Teodoro had this to say: “I don’t know. The options are open and it depends on who the approving authority was with these agreements. Naturally, this is not a department-only activity, we need to consult with other departments.”