West Philippine Sea: The President is undeterred

By now, everyone knows how determined the President is in protecting our maritime territory and sovereign rights as clearly articulated in his latest statement – posted on his social media accounts for the whole world to see – that “No one but the Philippines has a legitimate right or legal basis to operate anywhere in the West Philippine Sea.” 

The President strongly called out the “aggression and provocations perpetrated by the China Coast Guard and their Chinese Maritime Militia” against Philippine vessels and personnel, stating that these have “only further steeled our determination to defend and protect our nation’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.” 

President Marcos Jr. had done almost everything to try and find ways and means to talk to the Chinese and to President Xi Jinping for a peaceful resolution to the maritime disputes. When the President made a state visit to China in January, he and President Xi agreed to solve the issues through peaceful means, with both governments issuing a statement that “…reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace and stability in the region and the freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea.” 

During the recent APEC Leaders’ Summit in San Francisco, the President sought out President Xi during a meeting on the sidelines to explore ways to ease the tension and look for ways forward and continue in trying to maintain the peace. In a video message, the President said, “We will get the view of the Chinese president on what we can do to bring down the temperature, to not escalate the situation in the West Philippine Sea.”  

But despite all these efforts, Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels continue to bully and harass Filipino fishermen who have been prevented from plying their livelihood in waters that are clearly part of our exclusive economic zone. And the aggression just keeps escalating, as seen in the latest assault on three boats of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources that were repeatedly blasted with water cannons, with one of the boats also rammed. One of the vessels sustained severe damage on its engines and had to be towed back to Palawan.    

Certainly, this latest display of bullying by the Chinese belies claims that they were acting in a “professional” manner, and has once again generated condemnation from members of the international community – among them Canada that has also earned the ire of Beijing for showing support for the Philippines and issuing a statement that condemned the actions taken by China against the Philippine vessels.

“The use of dangerous maneuvers, collisions, water cannons and long-range acoustic devices against Philippine vessels endangers lives and poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability. These incidents are the latest in an increasingly worrisome pattern of acts of intimidation by the PRC in the South China Sea,” Canada’s statement said. 

All these developments have been taken into consideration by our National Security Adviser Ed Año, who has done a tremendous job in taking the lead in formulating a new national strategy on the West Philippine Sea. Ed is unquestionably the most respected in our Armed Forces, having served as AFP chief of staff prior to his appointment as National Security Adviser. Secretary Año is cognizant that navigating the challenges in the West Philippine Sea requires more than a military solution, especially with China engaging in “information operations” aimed at sowing discord among Filipinos by spreading false narratives and disinformation online.  

This strategic shift in the country’s national defense policy necessitated a holistic approach involving all sectors, explained the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea chair, and part of that strategy was a “transparency initiative” that exposed the aggression and bullying of Chinese vessels – laser pointing, water cannon attacks, using long-range acoustic devices, blocking and shadowing of Philippine vessels and other dangerous maneuvers – documenting these actions through photos and videos and publicizing them in traditional and social media platforms. 

“It is critical for us to convey a powerful and united message that counters their falsehoods and unites all of us in this important issue,” Secretary Año said.

This transparency initiative has raised awareness about China’s bullying not only among Filipinos but the international community as well. In fact, maritime security experts such as Ray Powell laud the transparency initiative of the Philippines, describing it as an “assertive transparency campaign” that is also innovative as it has exposed China’s harassment of Philippine vessels.

“Assertive transparency describes the tactic of deliberately seeking out the dark spaces where gray-zone actors conduct their illegal, malign and coercive acts, and then exposing them to public view,” Powell said.

Other analysts like Collin Koh, a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore, says the Philippines’ open publicizing of the maritime incidents involving China and calling out the aggression and intimidation – which he calls a “name and shame” strategy – appears to “have put Beijing on the back foot.”

Saying “the Philippine policy is very good and timely,” Aristyo Rizka Darmawan of the University of Indonesia said that by publicly sharing information about incidents in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines could generate support from other nations and could eventually pressure China into stopping its aggressive actions and force it to abide by international law.  

One thing is clear: the President is determined and undeterred in protecting our territorial rights and asserting our sovereignty not because he is after glory or legacy, but because he believes it is the right thing to do for our country and for the future of Filipinos.  

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