Duterte: Upgrades to defense capability will ensure PH territorial integrity, sovereignty

President Duterte: “The continuous upgrading of our defense capability shall ensure that we shall uphold our territorial integrity and sovereignty from external and security threats.” Screenshot/RTVM

MANILA, Philippines — The upgrading of the Philippines’ defense capability would ensure the country will be able to uphold its territorial integrity and sovereignty, President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday.

Duterte, whose pronouncements regarding the West Philippine Sea have been questioned by critics, made the remark in his final State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“The continuous upgrading of our defense capability shall ensure that we shall uphold our territorial integrity and sovereignty from external and security threats,” Duterte said.

“We welcome the country’s two missile-capable warships to enable us to protect our seas [and] by providing them (defense team) with the necessary equipment, by enhancing their professional capabilities,” the President added.

Duterte has been criticized for his stand on the West Philippine Sea, which China also claims.

At one point, Duterte said the victory of the Philippines over China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague—concerning the West Philippine Sea—is just a “piece of paper,” trash to be thrown away.

READ: Duterte on PH court win over China: ‘That’s just paper; I’ll throw that in the wastebasket’