MANILA, Philippines — The military chiefs of the Philippines and Japan have reaffirmed their commitments toward strengthening alliances amid growing Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and Gen. Yoshida Yoshihide, chief of joint staff of the Japan Self-Defense Force, met via video teleconferencing on Thursday to discuss pressing regional security matters and developments in the Philippine-Japan defense partnership.
The two officials also lauded the delivery of air surveillance radar system and expressed the need for the immediate finalization of the reciprocal access agreement to allow more interoperable cooperation between the two nations.
AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said both military leaders also stressed the importance of alliance building to counter aggression, citing incidents of Chinese harassment in the West Philippine Sea as well as the recent conclusion of the Multilateral Staff Talks with Australia and the United States in Tokyo.
Yoshida, during the discussions, also conveyed Japan’s support for the 2016 Arbitral Ruling invalidating China’s expansive claim in the South China Sea.
Trinidad said the meeting demonstrates the AFP’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with like-minded nations and drawing support for the advancement of a rules-based international order and a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments, said the Marcos administration has all the right to seek Washington’s help in totally preventing China from continuously making incursions in the Philippines’ maritime territory.
He said Marcos can invoke the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty with the US if only to “prevent future Chinese attacks on Philippine vessels.”
“I support the President’s call. We should be done protesting Beijing’s continued harassment and bullying,” the Cagayan de Oro City congressman said. Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels were targets of Chinese harassment in the West Philippine Sea.
“Our numerous and repeated protestations have fallen on deaf ears,” Rodriguez said. The Mindanao lawmaker made the appeal in response to the President’s statement calling for a “paradigm shift” in dealing with “Chinese aggression” in the WPS.
In exploring a new tack, Rodriguez said the President should consider consulting with its defense treaty ally, the US, in tackling future Chinese aggressive activities in the western side of the country near Palawan and Zambales.
Article III of the US-Phl treaty states: “The Parties, through their foreign ministers or their deputies, will consult together from time to time regarding the implementation of this Treaty and whenever in the opinion of either of them the territorial integrity, political independence or security of either of the Parties is threatened by external armed attack in the Pacific.”
Article V also provides that “an armed attack on either of the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of either of the Parties, or on the island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific or on its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.”
Rodriguez suggested that Marcos call for consultations between the Philippines and the United States on future scenarios in the West Philippine Sea.
“It’s obvious that there has been no ‘armed attack’ yet – an assault that is within the purview of the treaty. But certainly, there is threat to our personnel and fishermen and to our country’s ‘territorial integrity…or security’,” he pointed out.
Rodriguez said the Philippines could ask the US “how, as a defense treaty ally, it could help address this threat and assist us in asserting, protecting and defending our sovereignty, territorial integrity and maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea.”
He said China has been evidently calibrating its responses to such assertions.
“Before, we did not see our Coast Guard and BFAR personnel, fishermen and civilian boat crew being water-cannoned or subjected to military-grade laser and loud acoustic blasts, and being blocked in a very aggressive way in their missions and activities,” he lamented.
“Now, we see those tactics being used on our people in a very dangerous manner. What would they do next?” Rodriguez said. He added that though the Chinese have not resorted to an “armed attack, they have definitely employed force on our personnel, fishermen and civilian boat crew.”
At the same time, Rodriguez reiterated his appeal to Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and the military to not use civilian boats in resupplying soldiers stationed in Ayungin Shoal.
“These are military missions that should be undertaken by military personnel. Let us stop exposing civilians to danger. Let us not try to avoid an ‘armed attack on a public vessel or aircraft’ by using civilians,” he said.
Inspired by the success of their first mission, organizers of the Atin Ito Coalition civilian convoy, meanwhile, are eyeing another supply run to island communities in the West Philippine Sea in the summer of 2024.
Akbayan president and Atin Ito Coalition co-convenor Rafaela David said they are determined to make another supply mission despite the harassment they experienced from Chinese vessels.
David said it is time to show China that Filipinos will never back down in asserting the country’s territorial integrity over the WPS.
“Next year hopefully we can do another round of civilian supply mission,” she said in an interview over dwPM radio.
David said they were considering February in time for Valentine’s Day but they were informed that the waters would be rough.
For David, supply missions to communities living in the WPS should be a regular activity despite the persistent threats from China.
“Let’s show to them that Filipinos can’t be bullied,” she said.
Their first supply run this month, dubbed as Christmas convoy had to change course without completing its voyage to deliver gifts and supplies to communities in Lawak Island after it was swarmed by Chinese vessels.
David lauded the country’s security forces, especially the PCG for assisting them in their first mission.
Coast Guard officers, according to David, never relented in their mission to secure the WPS despite facing China’s bigger ships. – Delon Porcalla, Emmanuel Tupas