Safeguarding a free and open Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is defined by the seas. They carry the trade that sustains our economies, the energy that powers our industries, and the digital infrastructure that connects our societies. The maritime domain is, therefore, not only a geographic space. It is the foundation of regional stability, economic resilience, and global prosperity.
But the seas are also where the rules that govern our region are increasingly being tested. Today, nowhere is that test more visible than in the West Philippine Sea.
In 2025 alone, the Philippine Coast Guard West Philippine Sea Transparency Group documented 64 Philippine missions or activities subjected to illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions. Some of these encounters even resulted in damaged assets and injuries to Filipino personnel and fisherfolk, placing lives at risk and endangering the safety of those lawfully operating in our waters.
Unfortunately, these are only the incidents that were reported and made public. Far from the cameras and the headlines, many more acts of intimidation occur at sea—often involving Filipino fishermen and frontline personnel who continue to operate under constant pressure and uncertainty.
What we are witnessing is not a series of isolated encounters. It is a clear and escalating pattern of coercion. The growing frequency and intensity of these incidents are deeply alarming. Such behavior, as we have stressed time and again, should not and cannot be normalized or tolerated. It must be met with firm, coordinated, and decisive measures to end this persistent pattern of coercion.
What happens in the West Philippine Sea will inevitably shape the strategic environment across the region. This is why the issue before us is not solely a Philippine concern. It is a regional and global one.
Safeguarding the maritime domain is not simply about defending territory. It is about defending the principles that allow nations—large and small—to coexist peacefully: respect for international law, freedom of navigation, and the peaceful management of disputes.
At the heart of these principles is the rules-based international order. A rules-based order cannot survive on declarations alone. It must be reinforced through cooperation, strengthened through collective action, and defended through sustained commitment.
This is precisely the vision behind the free and open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific. As we mark nearly a decade since the articulation of this concept, the challenge before us today is clear: how do we translate these principles into practical cooperation that safeguards peace, stability, and prosperity across our shared maritime domain?
For the Philippines, partnerships and cooperations have become an essential pillar of this effort. This cooperation takes many forms: defense modernization, joint and combined exercises, capacity-building initiatives, intelligence and information sharing, and enhanced operational coordination among maritime forces.
In 2025 alone, the Philippines conducted 20 joint maritime activities with partners including the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, France, and India.
These activities send a strong message. During a high-level conference hosted by Stratbase Institute and the Japan Institute of International Affairs entitled “Safeguarding the Maritime Domain for the Free and Open Indo-Pacific” held on March 6, 2026, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año underscored the Philippines’ deep concern over the continued use of illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive tactics at sea.
The 2016 Arbitral Award remains a critical pillar in this discussion. It clearly affirmed what international law recognizes as ours and invalidated China’s illegal nine-dash line—now expanded to 10 dashes. The ruling serves as a reminder that disputes must be resolved through law, not through force.
Now more than ever, partnerships with like-minded countries play a vital role in reinforcing the international rules-based order. As Ambassador Endo Kazuya of Japan noted, Japan and the Philippines remain natural partners, with Japan placing utmost value on its collaboration with the Philippines. Such partnerships are essential in upholding a free and open international order.
The Philippines does not stand alone. And the defense of international law does not belong to one nation alone. The stability of our seas depends on the collective resolve of nations that believe in openness, transparency, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. Because the future of the Indo-Pacific will be shaped not only by power, but by the principles we choose to defend—and the partnerships we choose to build.
We firmly believe that the Philippines cannot—and should not—stand alone. Nor should the international community work in silos. To promote a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific, cooperation must be collective, principled, and sustained—grounded in international law, reinforced by shared responsibility, and driven by the clear understanding that maritime security is indivisible.
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Dindo Manhit is the founder and CEO of Stratbase Group.
