Fact check: Padilla's claim of zero 'escalation' in WPS under Duterte admin misleads

MANILA, Philippines — While former President Rodrigo Duterte had ruled out joint maritime patrols with strategic allies in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippine Coast Guard and Armed Forces of the Philippines intensified patrols in waters where Chinese vessels were spotted in 2021.

This is contrary to Sen. Robin Padilla’s claim that there was no “escalation” in the WPS during Duterte's term.

CLAIM: Padilla said that there was no “big escalation” in the West Philippine Sea during the six-year term of former President Rodrigo Duterte. 

RATING: This is misleading.

FACTS: 

What he said

During a Senate joint inquiry on the situation at the WPS on Tuesday, Padilla said that the country did not experience an “escalation” in the WPS in the last six years — or during the Duterte administration.

At the 1:25:53 to 1:28:50 mark, Padilla addressed maritime expert Jay Batongbacal and asked whether the current situation at the tense waterways necessitates “escalation” and criticized the possible addition of a “third party” — like the United States Navy — in patrolling the area.

Padilla said: 

“Ang sinasabi ko lang dito, sa matagal na panahon anim na taon tayong wala tayong ganitong kalaking escalation. Nandito na po may third party na. Eh ito ba ay sang ayon kayo may third party na? Anim na taon naman tayong — cat and mouse lang tayo dyan. (What I'm saying here is that for a long time, for six years, we haven't had this kind of escalation. Now, there's a third party involved. Are you in agreement that there's a third party? For six years, we've just been playing cat and mouse there.)”

A "cat and mouse" is a figure of speech commonly used to refer to situations in which a situation in which a person tries to confuse or deceive another in order to defeat them

When Batongbacal explained that China had first “escalated” the situation by increasing its presence in the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone, Padilla said that he had been to the bases where Chinese vessels were spotted, arguing that “Americans” do not need to monitor the waters.

Padilla said: 

“Sa loob ng anim na taon, hindi naman tayo nagkaroon ng ganitong escalation. Bakit tayo pumapayag ngayon na meron nang amerikano? Na-handle naman natin ito ng anim na taon na tayo tayo lang. Na-handle ko nga yan na bangka lang dala ko. (For six years, we didn't have this kind of escalation. Why are we now agreeing that there are Americans involved? We managed this for six years among ourselves. I even handled it with just a boat.)”

What he left out

At the start of his term in 2016, Duterte ruled out joint maritime patrols with strategic allies in the West Philippine Sea and repeatedly threatened to cut defense pacts and end joint drills with the United States, as reported by several local and international news outlets Philippine Daily Inquirer, Associated Press and The Guardian among others.

Then-Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced that the Philippines would scale back its maritime exercises with US troops the same year.

Duterte also set aside a 2016 ruling by an international arbitral tribunal that said China's sweeping nine-dash-line claim over a large part of the South China Sea has no basis in international law. 

RELATED: Duterte explains soft stance on West Philippine Sea dispute: We can't win | Philstar.com 

However, in 2021, upon the discovery of 200 Chinese maritime militia vessels anchored at Whitsun Reef within the West Philippine Sea, the AFP and the PCG started to increase their EEZ patrols and exercises near Scarborough Shoal and the Kalayaan Islands.

In March 2021, AFP Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana ordered the deployment of more ships to the Western Command and to increase the frequency of Philippine patrols, as reported by CNN Philippines and The Philippine Star.

In April 2021, the government's task force on the West Philippine Sea deployed more assets needed by Area Task Forces to secure the country's control and sovereignty over maritime territory.

The government deployed four PCG vessels, one PCG aircraft, five Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels for WPS maritime patrols and Philippine National Police-Maritime Group (PNP-MG) high-speed tactical watercraft and rubber boats for maritime law enforcement in the coastal areas.

Essential context 

Even as Duterte maintained a passive foreign policy in relation to China, Chinese vessels continued to swarm areas within the Philippines’ EEZ and exhibited aggressive actions toward Filipino boats during his term. 

A Chinese fishing vessel ran into and sank a wooden Philippine fishing vessel near Recto (Reed) Bank and left the area with the 22 crew members still in the water in June 2019.

A civilian vessel carrying the news team of ABS-CBN was chased down by the Chinese Navy in April 2021.

Why we fact-checked this 

Duterte's successor, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has revived talks of joint patrols with the US, with Jonathan Malaya of the National Security Council saying that this could be held "within the year," as reported by Benar News.

Marcos and the Australian government have also greenlighted the conduct of joint patrols in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea, according to AFP Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.