Philippines soldiers must 'preserve for at least 20 to 30 days' if war breaks out: Report

​​​​​​​By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants Philippine soldiers to "fight and preserve our forces for at least 20 to 30 days" before support can arrive under the Mutual Defense Treaty, if a war breaks out in the country, according to Army chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.

Manila’s allies and “partners are expecting us to fight the war ourselves during the first part of the conflict," in case of a potential disturbance, he was quoted by the Philstar newspaper as he spoke at the AFP Joint Exercise (AJEX) "DAGIT-PA" 09-2025.

The 10-day drill will be conducted in areas across the islands of Luzon and Palawan, according to a statement from the army.

"We will be the ones to go to war first. That's why our unilateral defense plan and this exercise we are doing are very important," said Brawner.

The Philippines, a long-standing military ally of the US in the Asia-Pacific region, hosts American soldiers and provides access to its military bases. The two countries have maintained a defense treaty since 1951.

US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said last month that the treaty "extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft anywhere in the South China Sea," after Manila and Beijing had a maritime clash in the disputed sea.

China and the Philippines have overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, which is one of the world's busiest trade routes, with trillions of dollars in annual trade.​​​​​​​