The Philippine defense chief's warmongering rhetoric shows that he clearly does not know which way the wind is blowing today. The new US administration under Donald Trump has sent an unmistakable message to allies and partners that they should take security in their own hands, and that US security protection is no longer a free lunch.

The Philippines pushed back against China on Monday after its top diplomat dismissed last week the tension between the two countries as a “shadow play,” with a “screenplay” for Manila written by external forces.

The Philippine defense secretary says his country and its allies would take measures to counter any attempt by China to impose an air defense zone or restrict freedom of flights over the South China S