1Tahanan Party-list Representative Nathaniel “Atty. Nat” M. Oducado on Wednesday called for a local shipbuilding program to combat rising Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, using defense spending to boost the local shipbuilding industry.

Oducado made the call after the collision of two Chinese vessels in their aggressive maneuvers to intercept Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Suluan in the waters around Bajo de Masinloc.

“China will only become more aggressive. Like all bullies, they should be met with resolve. However, our resolve must be backed with presence, which can only come from more ships,” said Oducado.

“For so long, we have put off spending more on defense, as it usually means buying overseas and therefore losing resources which could be used locally. This time around though, we can build ships locally, which means we not only build our defense capabilities but also use the same money to stimulate the local shipbuilding industry,” he added.

Oducado said that sooner or later, Philippine ships will take damage from the high-stakes maneuvers that often occur in the contested waters.

“I commend the skill, seamanship, and courage of Capt. Jomark Angue and the crew of BRP Suluan. I am confident that the rest of the Philippine Coast Guard can and will display the same levels of skill, seamanship, and courage in their duties in the West Philippine Sea. But we will suffer damage in the future, and it is important that we have the capability to quickly repair and return our ships to front-line duty,” he said.

Oducado is the author of House Bill No. 2597, or the Shipyard Fiscal Incentives Act of 2025, which aims to provide tax incentives to rehabilitate and modernize local shipbuilders. The policy will create 100,000 jobs in the sector, which has the potential to drive heavy industrialization in the country.

“The Department of National Defense, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Science and Technology, and the Department of Trade and Industry should band together and formulate a roadmap to make local warship building happen,” said Oducado.

“I understand, a warship is not just about the ships – it needs advanced electronics, weapons, and other systems that we cannot produce at this time. What we can do is start somewhere – the hulls and other shipboard systems which we can build. Every peso spent on local producers instead of foreign suppliers is a peso invested to boost the industry and our economy,” he added.