Top Philippine security officials and maritime experts on Tuesday renewed their call for a united front on the West Philippine Sea issue even as they pressed for diplomacy, transparency and tighter security partnerships to assert the country’s 2016 arbitral victory over China.
Speaking at a forum organized by the Stratbase Institute and the Japanese embassy to to mark the 70th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said Manila would remain anchored on international law even as Beijing’s actions at sea grow more assertive.
“In the face of the People’s Republic of China’s increasing assertiveness in the West Philippine Sea and the broader South China Sea, the Philippines remains firmly anchored in international law, diplomacy, and transparency,” Brawner said, describing the country’s posture as “principled restraint, coupled with resolve.”
Stratbase Institute president Prof. Victor Andres Manhit said defending Philippine sovereignty required a broader, multi-sectoral effort beyond government, underscoring the need for “strategic clarity” and stronger coordination with democratic partners.
“Because the next seventy years will not be defined by history—but by how we act today,” Manhit said. “In a region where the stakes continue to rise, the Philippines and Japan have both the opportunity and the responsibility to work together—to strengthen economic resilience, enhance security cooperation, and uphold the principles that keep our region stable and open.”
Philippine Coast Guard commandant Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan said tensions in the West Philippine Sea were a “daily reality” for personnel on the front lines, framing maritime security as a fundamental right.
“Security at sea is a human right,” Gavan said, noting that coast guard personnel regularly protect Filipino fishers and respond to vessels in distress.
He said the Philippines had repeatedly documented incidents in which Chinese vessels attempted to block or harass Filipino personnel, calling the West Philippine Sea the “most immediate test” of Manila’s partnerships with like-minded countries.
Gavan stressed that cooperation with allies such as Japan was crucial to sustaining a collective presence at sea and ensuring that Philippine forces remain “professional, yet unyielding.”
“Rights affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Award, which is also under the Philippines. Japan has not looked away from this. It has responded with us through legal and diplomatic channels, through international engagements, and through concrete support to our capabilities,” he said.
Former Supreme Court justice Antonio Carpio, for his part, said enforcement of the 2016 arbitral award does not rely on a single global authority but on the continued presence of allied navies in contested waters.
“Every time the U.S. and its allies sail in the West Philippine Sea … that is enforcement,” Carpio said, explaining that such operations affirm the area as part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone under the ruling.
He urged the government to pursue additional legal remedies, including new arbitral cases over overlapping extended continental shelf claims, to further strengthen the landmark decision and build international support.
