‘Calm resolve’ in WPS, but combat prep via EDCA

“In the face of tension, it is your calm resolve that prevents disputes from turning into conflicts, demonstrating to the world that embracing dialogue and cooperation is the true essence of strength.”

That was what Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in commending the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on its 123rd anniversary on Monday, hailing its sailors as “vigilant stewards of peace and order upon our seas,” especially in the West Philippine Sea.

On the same occasion, he officiated at the awarding of 14 outstanding PCG personnel and units, including vessels that had been bullied by China’s Coast Guard ships on several occasions. Among them were the following:

• The BRP Teresa Magbanua which, in August, was rammed by Chinese vessels in the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, where the ship has been stationed for quite some time to safeguard the shoal from being occupied by Chinese vessels. It was given recognition as the “97-meter vessel of the year.”

• The BRP Cabra, which was attacked with water cannon in December 2023 while on a resupply mission ro Ayungin Shoal. It was awarded as the “44-meter vessel of the year.”

•  The BRP Francisco Dagohoy, which delivered aid to fisherfolk in Pag-asa Island. It was honored as the “50-meter vessel of the year.”

Marcos Jr. reaffirmed his commitment to upgrade the capabilities of the PCG, whose smaller vessels were recently harassed – on their way to resupply Filipino fishers near the Ayungin Shoal – by much-bigger Chinese ships that intruded into Philippine waters, falsely claiming jurisdiction over the area.  He further said:

“But to do this with the added weight of isolation, the dangers of unpredictable seas and the constant pressure of protecting our resources, then it becomes more than just a job. It is a responsibility that speaks to the core of what it means to serve this country.”

Likewise, he assured them of his administration’s support to improving the PCG’s fleet and the country’s air assets as well as maritime domain awareness, weapons capability and necessary infrastructure development. These steps, he added, would boost the fleet’s capability to respond to any type of operations.

On its 123rd year, the PCG has transitioned from being regarded as “one of the weakest” among its peer agencies to becoming the “most significant Coast Guard in Southeast Asia,” proudly declared its current commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan.

“At 123 years, the (PCG) has finally arrived,” he said. “We are now where we envisioned ourselves many years ago – from seeking out the answers to the complex threats of being an archipelagic and maritime nation, we are now able to serve as frontliners in our nation’s organized engagements at sea.”

The PCG is considered as the third uniformed armed service of the state – the two others are the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP). This year, it has faced many challenges, particularly during resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre, which has been grounded in Ayungin Shoal as military outpost signifying Philippine jurisdiction in the area.

Beginning last year, huge Chinese Coast Guard ships, backed by an array of China’s naval vessels, have been chasing PCG vessels, attacking them with water cannon and even ramming and damaging them. Their crew have threatened and harassed the PCG personnel (at one instance seizing their food supply) as they carried out their resupply missions. Every time, the Filipinos stood their ground.

Admiral Gavan spoke proudly of the PCG personnel, lauding their perseverance and resilience, courage, dedication to duty and patriotism in fulfilling their mandates, particularly in undertaking their missions in the West Philippine Sea with limited resources.

“We continue to be present at the frontline and uphold the integrity of our territory, sovereignty and jurisdiction based on international law,” he said. He cited the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to whose promulgation the late nationalist senator Arturo Tolentino contributed significantly), as well as the Arbitral Award won by the Philippines in 2016, international conventions and the national law.

Moreover, Gavan pointed out: “We were able to maintain peace – through law and with dignity. We have stood our ground calmly and professionally – our nation and the Filipino people have prevailed as what our forebears professed we should be.”

However, saying that the burden of protecting the country’s waters is not borne by the PCG alone, Marcos Jr. enjoined it to work with other agencies that also fulfill the mandate of ensuring the safety of life and property in the seas, protecting the environment and enforcing maritime laws.

But while the country appears to have averted tensions in the West Philippine Sea from graduating into armed conflict, the Philippine government is now being induced, through US diplomatic and military pressure, to gear up for combat readiness in northern Luzon. Combat readiness against whom?

Not surprisingly, the Marcos Jr. administration has been eager to play along with the Biden administration’s grand move to expand and strengthen a US-led “arc of military alliances” in the Indo-Pacific region. The objective: to better counter China in any possible confrontation over Taiwan or any other “Asian flashpoint,” according to a recent Associated Press report.

The Philippines is also working on “shoring up” its territorial defenses after its disputes with China began to escalate last year in the West Philippine Sea, the report noted.

In the latest joint US-Philippines war exercises in northern Luzon in April this year, the US military deployed a Typhon missile system, a land-based weapon that can fire Standard Missile 6 and the Tomahawk land attack missile, which can reach China.

The powerful weapon was supposed to be flown out of the country last month. But the Mutual Defense Treaty allies have agreed to keep the missile system in northern Luzon – last seen in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, home province of the Marcoses – “indefinitely to boost deterrence despite China’s expression of alarm.”

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