MANILA, April 1 — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has ordered his government to strengthen its coordination on maritime security to confront “a range of serious challenges” to territorial integrity and peace as a dispute with China escalates.
The order, signed last Monday (March 25) and made public yesterday, does not mention China but follows a series of bilateral maritime confrontations and mutual accusations over a disputed area of the South China Sea.
China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry did not respond to a Reuters‘ request for comment yesterday.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for over US$3 trillion (RM14.16 trillion) of annual ship-borne commerce. China’s claims overlap those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.
In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said China’s claims had no legal basis.
The latest flare-up occurred last weekend when China used a water cannon to disrupt a Philippine resupply mission to the Second Thomas Shoal for soldiers guarding a warship intentionally grounded on a reef 25 years ago.
“Despite efforts to promote stability and security in our maritime domain, the Philippines continues to confront a range of serious challenges that threaten territorial integrity, but also the peaceful existence of Filipinos,” Marcos said in the order.
On Thursday (March 28), the president vowed to implement countermeasures against “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and dangerous attacks” by China’s Coast Guard.
His order expanded and reorganised the government’s maritime council by adding the national security adviser, solicitor general, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency chief, and the South China Sea task force.
The order appears to expand the role of the military by naming the Armed Forces of the Philippines, not just the Navy, among the agencies supporting the council.
The renamed National Maritime Council will be the central body to formulate strategies to ensure a “unified, coordinated, and effective” framework for the Philippines’ maritime security and domain awareness.
Marcos increased the number of agencies supporting the council to 13 from nine, including the space agency the University of the Philippines’ Institute for Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea.
— Reuters
