𝗖𝗲𝗻𝗣𝗘𝗚 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗻𝘀: 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀' 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱-𝗨𝗽 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘁𝘆

𝘔𝘢𝘺 21, 2025 – 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘊𝘪𝘵𝘺, 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴. The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) expresses grave concern over the Philippines' rapid militarization and entry into the missile age, cautioning that such developments may compromise national sovereignty and entangle the nation in escalating geopolitical conflicts.

During the recent 2025 Balikatan joint military exercises, the Philippine Navy tested various missile systems, including Korean C-Star anti-ship missiles, French Mistral 3 surface-to-air missiles, and Israeli Spike missiles. Additionally, the U.S. deployed its Typhon missile system in Luzon, capable of targeting areas as far as China. The Philippine government has since announced plans to acquire this system, further intensifying regional tensions .

Professor Roland Simbulan, Chair of CenPEG, stated, "𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘜.𝘚. 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢, 𝘙𝘶𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢 𝘰𝘳 𝘕𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘒𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘢 —𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦-𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯." He emphasized that this militarization does not enhance peace or stability but instead heightens tensions and increases the risk of conflict .

CenPEG urges the Philippine government to:

■ Reassess Military Alliances: Reevaluate defense agreements that may compromise national sovereignty and draw the country into external conflicts.

■ Prioritize Diplomatic Solutions: Engage in peaceful negotiations and regional cooperation to address territorial disputes, particularly in the West Philippine Sea.

■ Redirect Resources: Allocate funds towards social and economic development programs that directly benefit the Filipino people, rather than investing in foreign military hardware.

■ Adopt an Independent Foreign Policy: Embrace a non-aligned stance that avoids entanglement in the rivalries of major powers, ensuring that national interests and regional peace are upheld.

CenPEG remains committed to advocating for policies that promote genuine national security, sovereignty, and the well-being of the Filipino people.