‘End sea harassment, I’ll return Typhon’

MANILA, Philippines — Visibly irked by China’s remark that the Philippines should pull out the US Typhon missile launchers, President Marcos yesterday said he would heed the call if Beijing stops claiming Manila’s territory and engaging in aggressive behavior.

Last week, China asked the Philippines to “quickly” pull out the Typhon missile launchers following a report that the US had transferred the missile system from Laoag to an undisclosed area in Luzon.

The Tomahawk cruise missiles in the launchers can hit targets in both China and Russia from the Philippines, according to Reuters.

Reacting to the report, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning urged the Philippines to correct the “wrongdoing” and pull out the US-made mid-range capability missile system.

She claimed that the deployment of the missile launchers was a “highly dangerous move and an extremely irresponsible choice” for the people of the Philippines, Southeast Asian countries and regional security.

In a media interview in Cebu yesterday, Marcos said he does not understand China’s statements, noting that the Philippines does not make any comment on China’s missile systems that are “a thousand times more powerful.”

“So I don’t understand. Let’s make a deal with China: stop claiming our territory, stop harassing our fishermen and let them have a living, stop ramming our boats, stop water cannoning our people, stop firing lasers at us, and stop your aggressive and coercive behavior, and we’ll return the typhoon missiles,” the President said.
In an earlier interview, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Francel Padilla said no entity could dictate how the Philippines would undertake defense deployments. She added that the missile launchers were deployed for training.

China claims practically the entire South China Sea — a strategic sea lane where over $5 trillion in shipments passes through every year — while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims.

In 2016, a Hague-based arbitral court invalidated China’s maritime claim and affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone. China has refused to recognize the landmark decision, prompting the Philippines and several other countries to urge Beijing to respect the rule of law.

CCG still in Philippines EEZ

Meanwhile, the China Coast Guard (CCG) continued to sail within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said.

PCG’s 97-meter patrol ship BRP Teresa Magbanua detected the 111-meter long CCG-3304 at 86 nautical miles west of Capones Point in Zambales, according to radio communication by a female PCG personnel on a video shared by Tarriela.

The CCG told the PCG it was “patrolling within the area under the jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China.”

“To avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation, please (inaudible) and leave this area immediately,” the CCG added in its radio challenge pronounced in both English and Chinese.

In response, the female PCG officer – also called an “angel of the sea” – told off the CCG that Teresa Magbanua was “conducting maritime law enforcement operation” in accordance with Republic Act 12064 or the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea  or UNCLOS wherein China is a “party,” and the 2016 arbitral award.

“In defiance of the Chinese vessel’s baseless claims of jurisdiction over these waters, the BRP Teresa Magbanua has consistently communicated with CCG-3304, issuing hourly radio challenges to assert that it is operating illegally within Philippine territory,” Tarriela said in a statement on Jan. 29, coincidentally the celebration of the Chinese lunar new year.

The “hourly radio challenges” enabled Teresa Magbanua to “successfully (push) CCG-3304 further away from Zambales, achieving an approximate distance of 85-90 nautical miles,” he noted.

Tarriela maintained the PCG would remain “professional” in “countering the illegal activities of the China Coast Guard (that) demonstrates the Philippine government’s commitment to non-provocation and de-escalation.”

CCG 3304, as well as CCG patrol vessels 3103 and the so-called monster ship 5901 have been taking turns in sailing within the Philippines’ EEZ – upheld by the 2016 arbitral award – close to Zambales since last Jan. 4.

PAF fuel storage facility

In Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, top officials of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) officially opened yesterday a new fuel storage facility at the Benito Ebuen Air Base.

Funded by the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), the facility boasts of two above-ground storage tanks, each with a capacity of 75,708 liters.

The turnover and blessing ceremonies were led by PAF Air Mobility Command Commander Maj. Gen. Ramil Oloroso and PACAF Commander Gen. Kevin Schneider who is currently in the country for an official visit.

According to PAF public affairs office chief Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo, the new fuel storage facility features a modern fuel handling system, a covered parking area for refueling trucks, and a secured perimeter, designed and constructed compliant to security and safety standards. It was built by Himalayan Builders and Engineers Pvt. Ltd. and ACE Builders, she added.

Castillo also said the project construction started on June 22, 2022 and was completed on Sept. 6, 2024 under the auspices of EDCA. She noted that the facility will significantly improve the PAF’s fuel storage and distribution capabilities, enhancing operational readiness and logistical efficiency.

Further, the new fuel storage facility will also support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, strengthen national defense capabilities, and sustain a wide range of PAF flying missions, including airlift, internal security and territorial defense operations, thereby reinforcing PAF’s ability to respond to various operational demands.

The Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu is among the five original EDCA sites in the country which US troops are allowed access along with Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan and Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro.

In 2023, the Philippines and the US decided to declare four more military camps and locations as EDCA sites – Balabac Island in Palawan; Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana and Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, both in Cagayan; and Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela. - Michael Punongbayan