Hegseth heads to Cebu as Manila seeks deeper US defense ties

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gestures during a joint press conference with Philippines' Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro after their meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila on March 28, 2025.

AFP / Ted Aljibe

MANILA, Philippines — United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is heading to the Philippines this week for a meeting with other defense chiefs in the region.

The Philippines will look to deepen its alliance with the US when Hegseth joins Southeast Asian defense ministers in Cebu this week, the Department of National Defense (DND) said on Tuesday, October 27.

“Of course, strengthening our alliance, that’s the broad aspect,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong told reporters when asked about Manila’s priorities. "But it will probably go down to the operational levels in terms of especially the US is a strong partner in terms of our modernization." 

Washington is “a strong partner” in the modernization of the armed forces and in future capacity and capability building, Andolong said.

The official could not yet give details on what the Philippines expected from Hegseth's meeting with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. 

"Usually when the two parties meet, the outcomes are decided when the meeting is conducted," Andolong said.

This is Hegseth's second trip to the Philippines. He first visited Manila in March 2025, on his first trip to Asia as Pentagon chief.

At last year's ADMM-Plus in Kuala Lumpur, Hegseth met Teodoro, and the two sides announced a new "Task Force Philippines" to deter coercion in the South China Sea. 

Hegseth has also pressed Asian allies to shoulder more of their own defense needs, a major talking point in his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore earlier this year. 

China to come?

The visit comes ahead of US President Donald Trump'sexpected trip to Shenzhen for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for the third time this year.

Andolong said the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, was expected to come up during the meetings. 

"Secretary Teodoro has mentioned in his previous engagements that South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea are almost always a part of the discussions in the ADMM. So we don't think it will be any different at this time," he said.

China has yet to confirm whether it will send a delegation to Cebu.

"What I know is that an invitation was extended, but as of this moment, we have no confirmation of their attendees," Andolong said when asked whether Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun would attend.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun warned against attempts to use the gathering to "hijack ASEAN, or create trouble," without naming any country.

Dong attended the last two ADMM-Plus meetings and held his first in-person talks with Hegseth on the sidelines of last year's gathering in Kuala Lumpur.