Supreme Court Associates Antonio Carpio, an observer in the arbitration proceedings in The Hague, said the Philippines would have "to fight battles in resources such as rights to oil and gas exploration and fishery.
"We need to maintain a credible defense force.There is no free lunch when it comes to self-defense," he said."All countries that failed to maintain a credible defense force have been erased from the map."Once the arbitration court has handed down its ruling, he said, the United States and other global naval powers should proceed with freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea so China will be fighting all naval powers of the world, Carpio said.
Meanwhile, Carpio urge the incoming administration of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to depend on the UN tribunal's decision - which is expected to disclose result within the next few week - before it moves for bilateral or multilateral talks with China to resolve Philippines's territorial dispute with China.
China claims it has the support of some 40 countries, these countries are mostly African and landlocked nations that have no relations in the West Philippine Sea.
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