Closing Keynote with National Security Advisor Eduardo Oban | Manila Strategy Forum 2026

At the 2026 Manila Strategy Forum, a speaker delivered remarks describing how strategic competition has changed and now spans defense, economics, technology, and information. He introduced the concept of “strategic space compression” — the gradual erosion of a nation’s sovereign choices through persistent, incremental coercion below the threshold of conventional conflict.

He stressed that resilience is key to expanding strategic space, citing the Philippines’ response in the West Philippine Sea, where it documents incidents, releases verifiable evidence, and exposes actions in real time to counter ambiguity and disinformation. He also highlighted the importance of partnerships, including the 75-year U.S.-Philippines mutual defense treaty and 80 years of diplomatic relations, as well as ASEAN cooperation, in preserving sovereign choice and regional stability.

Sources: CSIS (YouTube)