Navy to increase visibility in disputed West Philippine Sea

ARMED Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Cirilito Sobejana said they will increase visibility of naval assets in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) to ensure the safety and security of Filipino fishermen in light of China’s new law ordering its forces to open fire at foreign vessels intruding their territory.

“But I just want to make clear that our Navy presence there is not to wage war against China but to secure our own people,” Sobejana said in a televised press briefing on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.

Sobejana said China’s new law, which is the subject of a diplomatic protest filed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., is “very alarming.”

He said Filipinos go to the disputed area not to wage war but to fish.

“I should say it’s a very irresponsible statement dahil hindi naman tayo, ang ating mga kababayan ay hindi naman pumunta sa lugar na ‘yan, sa disputed area para makikipag-giyera kundi naghahanapbuhay,” he said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, for his part, said China is primarily concerned with armed vessels. He urged Filipino fishermen to continue their activities in the disputed territory.

But he had also raised concern that China’s new law would cause miscalculations and accidents since Philippine Coast Guard and Navy ships are patrolling the disputed area.

He said he will consult ally countries on how to deal with the matter.

Lorenzana and United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Tuesday discussed over the telephone the situation in the WPS and the capability upgrades of the AFP.

Lorenzana said Austin reaffirmed commitment to the Philippines-US alliance through the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) governing the visit of US armed forces in the Philippines.

China refuses to acknowledge the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, which favored the Philippines and rejected China’s claim over the disputed seas. (SunStar Philippines)

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