SINGAPORE – Of almost all speeches made during the six plenary sessions of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) at the Shangri-La Dialogue, it was the speech of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. that, perhaps, triggered the most murmurs and discussions among delegates after delivery.
It was a strong speech — as the spitfire of a defense chief is wont to deliver — especially before premiere platforms like the Shangri-La, Asia’s top defense summit.
“As strategic sentinel, we will stand watch over our sovereign rights and entitlement. And as guardian of freedom of the seas, we will stand watch with the international community for this part of the world,” Teodoro said on Sunday, May 31, during the final plenary session titled, “Evolving Security Partnerships in a Fragmented World.”
The pitch to an audience of fellow defense ministers and officials, top military brass, the academe, and media from all over Southeast Asia and beyond was simple: that the Philippines, because it stands by international law and because of its vast network of partners, is a convergence point for a “fragmented world.”
It’s a concept that builds on earlier articulations of the Philippines’ place in the world — or at least the country’s aspirations for its place in the world — throughout the current Marcos administration.
