TEAM PNoy senatorial candidate Edgardo “Sonny” Angara said the Philippine Navy deserves all the support to make it a credible defense force that is fit for a maritime country like the Philippines.
He said that a strong and vigilant navy would successfully defend the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) along the country’s vast coastline and maintain sea lanes of communication with other countries to promote regional and global stability.
“We are a peaceful maritime country. Peace, international cooperation and amity are the foundations of our foreign policy. But without a maritime defense force that our navy can be proud of, what we will have are porous coastal areas and an unprotected EEZ,” Angara said.
He also stressed the need to balance resources with a strategy that is responsive across the full range of blue and brown water operations. Blue water refers to the open ocean, while brown water refers to lakes, rivers, and coastal areas (also called littorals).
Angara said that one of the good news that has come out of the tensions in the West Philippine Sea is the high morale of the Philippine Navy and its corps of officers as well as the enthusiasm of young military officers to enter the naval service.
The legislature, said Angara, can help beef up the country’s naval capacity through budgetary intervention and pushing for the return of the Philippine Coast Guard back into the navy.
“With the current tension in the West Philippine Sea, the PCG should be reintegrated into the navy to augment its force during peacetime or wartime,” he added.