MANILA, Philippines — More – and bigger – joint naval patrols with allied nations are being readied for this year, the Philippine Navy announced yesterday.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy’s spokesman for West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue, said holding Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activities (MMCAs) with partner nations would improve the country’s capabilities in securing and protecting its territory and maritime domain.
“The approach of the Philippine Navy and the Armed Forces when it comes to our treaty allies and other partner nations is to have more activities in our maritime domain covering not only Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag Shoal) but also the Northern Islands, the Eastern seaboard and the West Philippine Sea,” Trinidad said.
Last year, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) held several MMCAs with the United States, Japan, Australia and other countries. “We expect more in 2025,” he said.
He noted that such events are geared towards developing the Philippine Navy’s capabilities and showcasing modern technologies that the AFP may need to acquire.
Trinidad said the military was also able to “plug and play” or work seamlessly with the modern navies, air forces and land forces of its stronger allies and partner nations last year.
The AFP’s last MMCA last year was held in early December with warships of the Philippine Navy, the United States military and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) sailing the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The Philippine Navy’s first MMCA with Japan, the US and Australia was held in July 2024 also in the WPS. Three more MMCAs were held the following months.
Apart from sailing together within the Philippine EEZ, warships of the participating nations conducted various interoperability exercises at sea.
PCG slams China anew
Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has again lashed out at Beijing’s effort to alter the status quo in the region through intimidation.
“China is merely attempting to normalize its illegal deployments to alter the status quo. It is crucial that we highlight this illegal presence; otherwise, in the long run, they may succeed in claiming that such unlawful activities have been occurring for an extended period,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for West Philippine Sea concerns, said on X.
The Philippines on Monday announced its lodging of a diplomatic protest against the “illegal presence” and “escalatory actions” of Chinese ships and a helicopter in the vicinity of Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc last Jan. 5 and Jan. 10.
In his post, Tarriela reminded China of the invalidation by a UN-backed arbitral court of its nine-dash line claim, which Beijing later expanded to a 10-dash line. — Mark Ernest Villeza