Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday, March 3, dismissed concerns that the Philippines could be pulled into a potential conflict between the United States, a treaty ally of Manila, and Iran.
In an interview, Teodoro described such fears as “unfounded” and based on a “false premise,” stressing that the Philippines’ security environment is distinct from the volatile situation in the Middle East.
“That is unfounded because we cannot compare the situation in the Middle East to that of the Philippines, and our bilateral and multilateral alliances are solely for defensive and deterrent purposes,” he explained.
The assurance came amid escalating hostilities in the Middle East after the US and Israel conducted a joint military operation in Iran over the weekend, which reportedly killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In response, Tehran fired volleys of ballistic missiles and deployed attack drones across the Middle East and toward Israel, hitting and threatening US military bases and allied sites in several neighboring states such as Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Local sectors expressed concern that Manila’s close ties with Washington might make the country a target or a participant in a wider war, especially with the presence of nine Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the country.
Teodoro, however, argued that these anxieties should not hinder the country’s defense modernization. (Martin Sadongdong)
