Manila, Philippines – A series of maritime drills between the Philippines and its allies has deterred China’s forces from intrusions and aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea, a high-ranking official of the Philippine Navy said on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
The Philippines held 18 war games – multilateral and bilateral – so far this year, the latest of which was the cross-deck landing exercise with Japan over the weekend west of Zambales, and with France off the eastern Mindanao waters.
“It is on record that for every MMCA (Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity) or [bilateral] MCA (Maritime Cooperative Activity) conducted especially in the West Philippine Sea and in Bajo de Masinloc, the coercive and aggressive actions of the PLA Navy and the maritime militia, the Chinese Coast Guard, are reduced,” Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, told a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.
The navy capped November with fewer Chinese PLA Navy warships spotted in Philippine waters amid the enhanced maritime domain awareness and patrols. Nineteen Chinese warships – frigates and destroyers – were detected last month, versus the 21 seen in October, Trinidad said.
“They only escalate after the MMCA. Hence, we have noted that for every MCA and MMCA, there is a change in the behavior of the adversary,” the navy official said, adding that more naval exercises bode well for the peace and stability in the flashpoint areas in the West Philippine Sea.
The bilateral maritime exercises over the weekend with Japan were the third so far between the two nations, and the first since September, when a visiting forces agreement – Reciprocal Access Agreement – came into force. Before that, Japan participated via multilateral wargames as an observer.
The military drills are under the ambit of defense pacts with more on the table. Italy was the latest to woo Manila for a defense deal, taking the cue from France and the UK. The prospective defense pact with Britain allows the entry of foreign troops for joint military drills and humanitarian missions – an arrangement that the Philippines already made with long-time ally and NATO founding member US, as well as with Australia and Japan. Manila also has concluded talks for a visiting forces agreement with Canada and New Zealand.
Sought for remarks over criticisms from some quarters that naval drills and patrols are becoming costly for Manila, the navy said the maritime exercises are in keeping with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s directive that the Philippines will not give up even a “square inch” of territory.
“All of the actions of the armed forces in the West Philippine Sea, the northern islands, and even, for that matter, all over the archipelago are the actions of a sovereign state,” Trinidad said.
“The AFP took to heart the policy statement of the commander-in-chief of not one square inch. In implementing comprehensive archipelagic defense operations, the AFP extended its operational reach to cover the entire EEZ, the extended continental shelf, and even beyond. It will not come cheap. It will not come easy. But this is what an armed force is designed for: To protect a country all the way up to its maritime domain,” the navy official added.
