The Marcos administration’s multilateral approach in dealing with the challenges we face in the South China Sea has always been an aspiration, especially with fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, more so with countries that have overlapping claims in the Spratly Islands such as Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.
During President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Vietnam in January, agreements were forged to boost maritime security cooperation and for the two countries to enhance coordination regarding maritime issues bilaterally, within ASEAN and with other dialogue partners. Both nations’ coast guards will also work together to prevent incidents in disputed maritime territories in the South China Sea.
In his remarks, President Marcos referred to Vietnam as the “sole strategic partner of the Philippines” in Southeast Asia, with maritime cooperation being the “foundation” of that strategic partnership.
During a meeting with President Marcos, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh noted that “the world and regional situation is evolving in a rapid and complicated manner and therefore we need to unite and cooperate more closely.”
No doubt the President’s state visit warmed up bilateral ties even more, demonstrated in the recent five-day goodwill visit by Vietnamese Coast Guard personnel who conducted joint maritime drills with members of the Philippine Coast Guard. The 80-man delegation of the Vietnamese Coast Guard was warmly welcomed, with a brass band playing while Philippine personnel waved flags of both countries.
The joint exercises held last Friday at Manila Bay was nothing less than historic, as it was the first of its kind between the Philippines and Vietnam. Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Rear Admiral Armand Balilo hit it right on the nose when he described the interaction as a good template to de-escalate the situation as it demonstrates that “even rival claimants can have an opportunity to nurture a relationship.”
Annual goodwill activities have long been conducted between Vietnamese and Philippine navy forces who play volleyball, soccer and tug-of-war in Southwest Cay (Pugad Island), a Vietnamese-controlled feature in the disputed Spratly Islands. And it’s no exaggeration to say either that our relationship with Vietnam is marked by amity, with Vietnamese and Filipinos also displaying friendly relations.
During the Vietnam War, the Philippines sent an engineering battalion that included not only soldiers but nurses and civilians to support medical and civil operations. Thousands of Vietnamese “boat people” – refugees who fled during the war – were granted asylum in the Philippines.
Like the Philippines, Vietnam also disagrees with China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea and the so-called nine-dash line (now 10-dash line) which has been declared illegal by the 2016 arbitral ruling. When China came out with a map featuring a 10-dash-line, Vietnam was among those who also protested, along with the Philippines, India and Malaysia.
Similar to Filipinos, Vietnamese fishermen have also experienced harassment from China Coast Guard and militia vessels, like the ramming incident in April 2020 that resulted in the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat off Paracel Islands. In February 2023, a Vietnamese newspaper reported that a Chinese ship confiscated the catch of a Vietnamese fisherman at Paracel Islands, described as a traditional fishing ground. According to the paper, men in Chinese uniform armed with steel rods boarded the fishing boat and forced the fisherman to destroy his nets. In August 2023, a China Coast Guard ship fired a water cannon at a Vietnamese boat, causing injuries to two fishermen.
A very prominent incident occurred in June 2019 when a Philippine fishing boat in Recto Bank was rammed from behind by a Chinese vessel that fled thereafter, leaving 22 Filipinos adrift at sea for several hours – before they were rescued by a Vietnamese fishing boat.
During our Philippine Independence Day celebration in that same year, I expressed our country’s gratitude to then-Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States Ha Kim Ngoc, who was in attendance. I still remember what Ambassador Ngoc told me: “We are brothers – ASEAN brothers. We should help each other.”
Brunei, a fellow member of ASEAN which is also a claimant country, is also prepared to work with us and enhance maritime cooperation to further strengthen ties “to protect and safeguard our common aspirations,” according to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah during the state visit of President Marcos last May.
Clearly, the only way to manage disputes is through dialogue and a sincere commitment between claimant nations to work together to prevent confrontations that could spark armed conflict in contested areas.
Hopefully, China will see the light and realize the wisdom of having claimant countries coming together to peacefully resolve issues between themselves – in a civilized manner – without any “outside country” having to come into the picture. No country should dominate another and, hopefully, we will see that day when we can peacefully work together as one Asian community of nations, patrolling the waters to prevent transnational crimes and keeping the peace among us.
‘The Golden Filipino’
The twin Olympic gold medals won by gymnast Carlos Yulo demonstrate that the Filipino has what it takes to shine in boxing, gymnastics and many other sports.
However, we should not forget our overseas workers – our prime human resources who are most sought-after, praised and appreciated wherever they go because they are the “gold standard” in terms of excellence in their work.
Considering the tremendous challenges that we face as a nation, we should continue to be united and be proud of our country and our people. The performance of our athletes in the 2024 Paris Olympics goes to show that when the Filipino puts mind over matter and goes for the gold – he definitely can!
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