Indian Navy warships joined the Philippine Navy in patrolling parts of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) for the first time in history, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced Monday.
The two-day joint patrol began Sunday and involves three Indian naval vessels, including the guided missile destroyer INS Delhi, which arrived in Manila for a port visit late last week.
This developed as President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. embarks on a five-day trip to New Delhi this week at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner, Jr. earlier confirmed the activity is a direct result of discussions held during the Raisina Dialogue 2025, a prominent global security forum convened in New Delhi, India.
Manila has heightened defense cooperation with a range of allies over the past year after a series of clashes in the WPS. Beijing claims nearly the entirety of the South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.
The patrol “started yesterday afternoon, then it’s ongoing up to this moment… the activity at the moment is replenishment at sea,” Lt. Col. John Paul Salgado said.
To recall, the Philippines recently purchased BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India, a state-of-the-art weapon designed to sink warships.
While in India, President Marcos is expected to sign pacts in such fields as law, culture and technology, according to Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Evangeline Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq. But all eyes will be on any potential defense agreements.
Before departing Monday, Mr. Marcos praised the two countries’ “steadfastness in upholding international maritime law, including the UNCLOS,” the UN treaty granting an exclusive economic zone within 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) of a country’s shores.
India, which has engaged in border clashes with China in the Himalayas, is a member of the so-called Quad, a group that includes fellow democracies the United States, Japan and Australia.
Beijing has repeatedly alleged that the four-way partnership, first conceived by late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, was created as a way of containing China.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated. Originally posted with the headline “PH, Indian Navies launch first-ever joint WPS patrols.”
