MANILA – A ranking naval official said the "multilateral maritime cooperative activity" (MMCA) being conducted by the Philippines with like-minded allies is giving the military more opportunities to cover and patrol the country's vast waters.
"MMCAs are now part of our operational design. We don't look at them as mere training activities but as part of our operational maneuver already. This allows us to cover more areas of our maritime domain," Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said in an interview with reporters late Thursday.
He added that this became policy starting the first quarter of 2024 when Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. made it part of his command guidance.
MMCAs are being conducted in the WPS and the southern part of the Philippines, Trinidad noted.
For 2025, there are a total of eight MMCAs and 12 bilateral maritime cooperative activities between the Philippines and its allies.
And when asked if there will be other countries that will be joining the MMCAs, Trinidad said the public will be immediately informed once this is finalized.
"Again, the moment that these are finalized, you will be informed accordingly. We do not declare in advance our forthcoming activities," he added. (PNA)