‘Blue economy’ seen as Phl growth key

The Philippines should tap the economic potential of its vast maritime domain to drive growth, strengthen supply chains and secure resources for future generations, Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said last week.

Teodoro described the “blue economy” as one of the country’s keys to sustainable development and prosperity, citing the Philippines’ geographic advantage as an archipelagic nation.

“The ‘blue economy’ is our future. The blue economy is our link to sustainability, to development and to prosperity,” he said during the 3rd Balangay Forum in Makati City held as part of this year’s Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month (MANA Mo).

Teodoro said the blue economy involves harnessing the country’s maritime resources while ensuring their sustainable use. For the Philippines, he noted, the country’s maritime entitlements extend far beyond what a landlocked nation would possess.

“The ‘blue economy’ basically means harnessing all your maritime resources that the country is endowed with by international law, by geography, and by nature. However, in the Philippines, it has an added dimension because we are an archipelago. So, our maritime entitlements are much, much more than a landlocked country,” he said.

The defense chief said maximizing these resources is increasingly important as the population grows and the country seeks to protect vital maritime supply chains.

“Without these supply chains, then we constrict our economic base. We imperil our society and we imprison future generations to a life of marginal, to a marginalized life. Therefore, the maritime domain and all its entitlements is something we are fighting for, better a little later than never,” he said.

Teodoro also called for the immediate exploration and development of resources in the Philippine Rise, formerly known as Benham Rise, and other maritime areas claimed by the Philippines in the Pacific.

“We have a whole expanse of Pacific Ocean maritime domain, the Philippine Rise, and other areas, which we have to occupy once again, and we have to explore and exploit on our own with like-minded countries unless somebody else has a different narrative and occupies it ahead of us,” he said.

He also emphasized cooperation with “like-minded countries” in keeping international maritime routes and sea lanes open, citing what he described as efforts by some countries to alter established narratives in the region.

Teodoro specifically cited China’s Nine-Dash Line claim over much of the South China Sea, saying: “A big example of changing the narrative is China’s Nine-Dash Line where they claim over 90 percent, almost 90 percent of the South China Sea, which is impossible. It’s a figment of their imagination. Unfortunately, it’s (an) imagination backed up by action and by disinformation and misinformation.”

The remarks come as the government continues to emphasize the economic, strategic and supply-chain importance of the Philippines’ maritime domain.