Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 22) — A joint patrol in the West Philippine Sea involving different countries will possibly happen as Manila continues to reach out to like-minded nations to ensure peace in the disputed area, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose ‘Babe’ Manuel Romualdez said Wednesday.
“We are also working with other countries like Australia, Japan, and even South Korea and perhaps sometime in the future we’re going to have a multilateral joint patrol,” he told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
Romualdez said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “was very clear he wants to see a combination of other countries that have the same interests to make sure that the waters are free from any kind of harassment from other countries.”
The Philippines and US on Tuesday began their three-day maritime and air patrols in the West Philippine Sea as part of a series of activities to boost defense ties and maintain peace in the disputed area. This started in the vicinity of Batanes — at the northern tip of the country close to Taiwan — and will end in the West Philippine Sea.
Romualdez said authorities have been planning this for a long time, and the chief executive gave his go signal for the joint patrol when he was in Hawaii.
The official noted there are no arrangements yet on whether US troops will join the Philippines’ resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal.
In a resupply mission in September, a Boeing P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft from the US Navy was spotted. The National Security Council said this is legal since the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea states that the exclusive economic zone of any country is subject to freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight. There was also no American ship or any other assistance from Washington used during the operation.
Other countries the Philippines is talking to about joint patrols are Vietnam and Malaysia, which also have territorial claims.
