- More Pinoys favor military action in WPS
- Balikatan ends with strike on ‘enemy’ ship
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro sought the expulsion from the Philippines of all those who recorded the supposed “new model” deal surrounding the Ayungin Shoal.
In an ambush interview at a Philippine Navy’s Maritime Security Symposium held in Quezon City, he also said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will soon be conducting an investigation on what can be considered a violation of the wire-tapping law.
“We will leave it to the DFA to find out the truth of what really happened. And if it really happened because allegedly the Chinese embassy violated the law of the Republic of the Philippines,” he said.
Teodoro’s statement came in the wake of reports alleging a leak of a recording on the “new model” between Armed Forces of the Philippines’s Western Command (AFP WESCOM) commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos and a Chinese embassy diplomat.
However, Teodoro doubts the authenticity of the said reports, even the “propensity of the Chinese government to engage in malign information activities. Now, this is what we should focus on and our countrymen should understand.”
But the Chinese embassy insisted that the AFP WESCOM clinched the agreement with China after multiple rounds of discussion, with the goal of de-escalating the tensions brewing in the South China Sea. Officials from the Philippines’ side have denied the existence of the said agreement.
“If what they say is true, they have also violated international relations and violated the law as they failed to coordinate with the Department of Foreign Affairs as they have operated underhandedly if this is true,” Teodoro stressed.
The AFP said that it has nothing to do with the deal. As of this writing, the AFP WESCOM Vice Admiral is on leave.
Meanwhile, OCTA’s 2024 First Quarter TUGON NG MASA (TNM) Survey released on May 7, 2024 revealed that a huge percentage of adult Filipinos want President Marcos to prioritize the problems in the West Philippine Sea.
The question: “On what measures should the Marcos, Jr. Administration prioritize to effectively address the issues related to the conflict in the West Philippine Sea?”
Survey said that 73% favored solving first the problem at the WPS through military action, compared to the 72% who favored diplomacy, based on the 1st Quarter Tugon ng Masa survey conducted last March 2024.
The list of prioritized measures are as follows:
Rank 1. Further asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through military action defined for survey respondents as “expanded naval patrols and troop presence in the West Philippine Sea” (73%),
Rank 2. Further asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through diplomacy and other peaceful methods (72%),
Rank 3. Modernizing and strengthening the Philippine military’s capability to protect the country’s territories (68%)
Rank 4. To conduct joint maritime patrol and exercises with ally countries (43%)
Rank 5. To expand diplomatic efforts with the countries within and outside of the region to reduce tension in the area (32%)
Rank 6. To shelve the disputes for joint economic development of the area (12%)
OCTA noted that this is the second time that “asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through military action” as a priority measure overtakes the top-ranked measure in previous TNM surveys, “which is ‘asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through diplomacy and other peaceful methods’”.
The survey added: “Be that as it may, most adult Filipinos in NCR prefer asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through military action (85%). Across major areas, it is in the Visayas where the lowest percentage of adult Filipinos who favor further asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through military action defined as expanded naval patrols and troop presence in the West Philippine Sea was observed (70%), but Balance Luzon and Mindanao has about the same percentage. A higher percentage of adult Filipinos belonging to Class ABC prefer further asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through military action, defined as expanded naval patrols and troop presence in the West Philippine Sea (76%), compared with other socioeconomic classes.
As for asserting diplomacy and other peaceful methods, there are 78% in the NCR, while Balanced Luzon, 70% and Mindanao, 72%. “Over half of adult Filipinos support this measure across all major areas despite this.”
“Furthermore, more adult Filipinos belonging to Class ABC prefer further asserting the Philippines’ territorial rights through diplomacy and other peaceful methods for the conflict in the West Philippine Sea (78%) compared to other measures and other social-economic classes,” it added.
As for the Balikatan exercises, the AFP and the United States Armed Forces successfully executed maritime strike exercises at La Paz Sand Dunes in Laoag on May 8, as part of the Exercise Balikatan 39-2024.
A maritime strike exercise is a strategic military operation conducting integrated land, sea, and air platforms to simultaneously sense, target, and strike against simulated targets at sea.
This aims to strengthen maritime security capabilities and proficiency in naval interdiction and deterrence operations.
Participating units from the AFP included the Philippine Navy’s BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and the Philippine Air Force’s 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which flew the FA-50.
Additionally, they utilized SSM-700K C-Star anti-ship missiles and a fast attack interdiction craft armed with Spike missiles, to target the decommissioned BRP Lake Caliraya.
The US Armed Forces contributed the U.S. Air Force’s 13th Fighter Squadron, flying F-16 Fighting Falcons, and various other units such as the Royal Australian Air Force No. 2 Squadron, Marine Air Control Squadron-4, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment operating a TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar; Marine Air Control Group 38; 16th Special Operations Squadron, 27th Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command, flying the AC-130J Ghostrider, and U.S. Navy VP-10 flying the P-8A Poseidon.
“This exercise was about the collective capability of our combined fires networks and increasing interoperability to sense and shoot targets from a variety of Philippine, U.S. and Australian land, sea and air platforms,” US Marine Corps Colonel Douglas Krugman, U.S. director, combined coordination center.
Philippine Exercise Director Major General Marvin Licudine praised the participating units for their strengthened ability to respond to maritime threats effectively.
“The success of this large-scale exercise demonstrates the combined capabilities of our forces in simulated maritime strike scenarios, reinforcing the solidarity of the Philippines-United States alliance. It sends a clear message of deterrence in the region, promoting peace and stability in our waters,” said Licudine.