The Philippines unveiled its new Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept ( CADC ), a missile across China’s bow that, among other things, mandates an increased military presence in Batanes, the island nation’s northernmost island province, close to Taiwan.  ,
Gilberto Teodoro, the secretary of defense of the Philippines, made it clear that the new corporate philosophy relies on “whole-of-the-nation” long-term implementation planning rather than the “directives” of any particular president or administration.
Accordingly, Teodoro called on all” commanders and units” in the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP )” to exert all efforts to operationalize” the new strategic doctrine.
A whole white papers on the new strategic doctrine has not yet been released by the Spanish government. The CADC is described by the defense chief as a “global effort” to “develop our capability to protect and secure our entire territory and Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ ) in order to ensure that our people and all the generations of Filipinos to come will freely reap and enjoy the benefits of the natural resources that are ours within our domain.”
The CADC marks in many ways a belated reversal of the proper focus from the disturbed borders and provinces in the south, a pot of insurgencies for the past 50 years, toward very proper and becoming increasingly anxious north waters and territories, with a growing emphasis on threats posed by a renewed China.
Recognizing the implications of the corporate reset, Beijing warned Manila to” foot properly” and consider its “red line”, especially China’s reunification plans with the self- governing island of Taiwan. Beijing is known to be troubled by Manila’s plans to expand military ties with Washington in the regions that border Taiwan.
The US Pentagon is also planning to build a human port in Batanes, which is separated from Taiwan by a narrow channel, in addition to having expanded access to various outposts in the northern Spanish regions of Cagayan and Isabela.
Marilou Cayco, the governor of Batanes, has stated that the US Army will travel to her province next month to discuss the construction of a deep-water port facility, which would be an alternative to an outdated and largely undeveloped port on the island’s western side.
China likely thinks that Pentagon-built facilities will ultimately have dual-use purposes and serve as essential infrastructure in any emergency involving Taiwan. However, the Philippines insists that it is only focusing on protecting its own national interests by making plans for any eventualities along its increasingly fragile northern frontiers.
China’s top leader Xi Jinping earlier this month requested that the People’s Liberation Army” coordinate preparations for military conflicts at sea, safeguard the country’s maritime rights and interests, and promote the development of the maritime economy.”
Xi’s comments have only strengthened Manila’s concern about a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan and/or an increase in maritime conflict in the South China Sea, where China and the Philippines have increasingly tense competing claims.
The Philippines has started treating the South China Sea, Bashi Channel, and Taiwan Strait as one integrated strategic theater that spans the majority of the Southeast Asian nation’s northern provinces.
The Philippine defense chief argued after announcing the new CADC national security strategy,” I emphasize that this is a strategic action and will not need constant directives to carry out .”
The Philippine defense chief claimed that the new strategic doctrine is a logical strategic move in line with the 21st century’s strategic realities rather than a quixotic or recklessly provocative decision by the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration.
The Philippines has had an unusually land-based defense strategy for almost 50 years, primarily as a result of the ongoing Islamic and communist insurgencies on the southern island of Mindanao, which has one of the longest coastlines in the world.
The Philippine military became primarily focused on counterterrorism activities as the country was designated as the” second front” in America’s Global War on Terror in the early 2000s, which led to the devastating Battle of Marawi against the so-called Islamic State-affiliated groups in 2017.
Since moving to modernize its armed forces, with a new growing emphasis on naval capabilities, is China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea combined with growing doubts about US commitment under the two sides ‘ mutual defense treaty.
Geographically, the Southeast Asian nation has also shifted its focus to its northern territories, which border the South China Sea, Taiwan and the Philippine Sea.
In response, the Philippines has engaged in a double-migration strategy, which includes expanding its own military presence and strengthening security cooperation with the US in the northernmost provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, and, most crucially, Batanes.
According to Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Junior, chief of the Philippine Navy, over 100 residents of the Batanes Islands joined the Philippine Navy’s reservist forces this week as part of a wider effort to create a” secure and safe environment” in and around the nation’s “last and northernmost frontier.”
This comes in response to unprecedented upgrades and construction at the country’s northernmost bases in the Philippines, including on the island of Mavulis, which is only 100 kilometers from Taiwanese territory.
The northern province of Aurora, which faces the Philippine Sea, was visited by Philippine defense chief Teodoro Jr. this week to check out recently renovated facilities, most notably the Naval Installations and Facilities- Northern Luzon ( NIF- NL ) in Casiguran.
The Philippines is reportedly going to use its recently acquired BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, which were purchased from India and have a range of about 900 kilometers, to Basco Island in Batanes.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sent BRP Gabriela Silang ( OPV- 8301 ), one of its most cutting-edge vessels, to Batanes and the Philippine Rise, also known as Benham Rise, for a two-week mission.
” We will also check the reported Chinese research vessels in]Philippine ] Rise”, PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said in a statement, emphasizing the need for the country to step up its “maritime domain awareness, intensify ]its ] presence in Northern Luzon, and monitor]and protect ] local fishermen”.
President Marcos Jr, meanwhile, described the presence of Chinese vessels in the area as” a clear intrusion”  , into Philippine maritime territory and that China’s maritime presence in the area, even ostensibly under civilian guise, was” of great concern”.
China is particularly concerned about the Philippines ‘ decision to expand cooperation with the Pentagon in the area.
As part of the annual Balikatan Exercises, which attracted 12, 000 American troops last year in addition to troops from observer countries like Australia and Japan, the two allies are expected to conduct drills near Batanes next month.
In response to Washington’s growing concern over a potential conflict with China over the democratic island, US Special Operations Forces have reportedly been permanently assigned to Taiwan’s frontline islands, Kinmen and Penghu.
However, whether the Philippines will grant US troops broader and more exclusive access to prized bases in the northern Philippines as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement ( EDC ) will remain to be seen.
Even as the Pentagon ramps up its presence in several bases in the Cagayan and Isabela provinces, Marcos Jr. has so far questioned the precise nature of America’s presence at northern Philippine bases under the EDCA.
What’s clear is that Washington will likely press its Southeast Asian ally for the most access, including the ability to deploy sophisticated military hardware and store weapons to deter and/or prepare for an all-out war with China over Taiwan.
Manila may eventually sleepwalk into full agreement with Washington regarding Taiwan’s fate if Beijing presses the Philippines in other theaters, notably in the South China Sea.
Follow Richard Javad Heydarian on X at @Richeydarian