Support for the Philippines' maritime entitlements would also strengthen Southeast Asia's access to the Pacific and reinforce regional security under international law, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. said during a security forum in Malaysia.

Speaking at the 37th United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) Annual International Military Law and Operations Strategic Engagement (MILOPS) in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, Aug. 3, Teodoro said the Philippines serves as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) gateway to the Pacific Ocean.

“The Philippines is a Pacific Island country as it is a Southeast Asian one,” Teodoro said.

“ASEAN has no presence in the Pacific Ocean. It has politically and legally a relation only because the Philippines is a member in good standing and in spirit of ASEAN,” he added.

Teodoro delivered a keynote address on “Philippine Perspectives on Regional Security Threats” alongside Malaysian Defense Minister Dato' Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn.

Instead of focusing solely on security threats, the DND said Teodoro framed his presentation around how these challenges affect regional peace, stability, and ASEAN centrality. He stressed that the country’s defense activities are anchored on international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Teodoro said ASEAN stands to benefit if it supports the Philippines' maritime rights under UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.

“If ASEAN wants unimpeded access to the Pacific under a regime of UNCLOS and our trust and confidence, it follows that ensuring Philippine entitlements as a whole under UNCLOS and the Arbitral Award is in ASEAN's interest,” he said.

“We have committed to the rule of international law. Maritime law is not only for the benefit of the Philippines. The Philippines also has the responsibility to steward these rights for Filipinos, ASEAN and the rest of the world,” he added.

Further, Teodoro said such support would become “a defining moment” for ASEAN.

“If ASEAN does this, it will be a seminal event in defining ASEAN solidarity and securing ASEAN as a premier advocate of international law. The Filipino people will not forget this defining move because it is rooted in law and not in subterfuge,” he said.

Teodoro also highlighted the 10th anniversary of the Arbitral Award, which invalidated China's nine-dash line and established legal principles that extend beyond Philippine interests.

In an interview after the conference, Teodoro said ASEAN cannot remain neutral while China continues actions that divide the region.

“There can be no zone of neutrality in ASEAN because there is really one force, China, that is dividing us,” he said.

"This is important and we will fight for it. How can we achieve it if we do not fight for it? The Philippines is leading because it is our number one duty as Filipinos. Eventually this will also happen to others and they know that,” he added.

Teodoro said he presented the strategic value of the Philippines' maritime domain to ASEAN and emphasized that the discussion should focus on legal principles already settled under international law.

“We presented the benefits of the Philippines and its maritime domain to ASEAN. We also explained the important rulings in the Arbitral Award that are no longer open to debate. The nine-dash line was not recognized. Invented historical claims were also not recognized,” he said.

He said future regional cooperation should be anchored on shared legal values instead of disagreements.

“Our conversation should focus on where we can work together and not on where we differ. Our operations are based on law. No one will believe in them if they are not based on law,” Teodoro said.

“You look for synergies where a fundamental value, such as freedom of navigation, is present. The feedback I received was positive. This is a new way of looking at the issue. We need ASEAN and we need the world to recognize the importance of the Philippines because of its location,” he added.