Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on December 10, rejected the idea to deploy Philippine warships to the West Philippine Sea in response to China’s actions, calling it a “provocative” and “escalatory” measure.
“We are not at war; we don’t need navy warships. All we are doing is resupplying our fishermen, protecting our territorial rights,” Marcos told reporters.
He emphasized that such an action would escalate tensions, saying: “Again, it will be provocative and will be seen as an escalation – we don’t do that. The Philippines does not escalate tensions. Quite the opposite, the Philippines always tries to bring down the level of tension.”
When asked about the government’s response to China’s ongoing activities in the disputed waters, Marcos reiterated the Philippines’ commitment to fulfilling its mission without contributing to further escalation.
“We will never be part of an escalation in the situation in the West Philippine Sea. If we look at the evolution of the situation in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines has never been an agent of escalation of tensions,” he added.
West Philippine Sea is the official designation by the government of the Philippines to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country’s exclusive economic zone. China insists on sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has rejected an 2016 international arbitration ruling which stated it has no legal basis for the expansive claims.
Tensions between China and the Philippines in the disputed waters have increased since 2023. In recent months, multiple confrontations have occurred, with Chinese vessels ramming and using water cannons against Philippine ships, resulting in damage and injuries.
On December 7, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said that the final decision on deploying Navy vessels to “shadow” Philippine missions in the resource-rich region rests with Marcos.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson for the PCG in the West Philippine Sea, clarified that the Armed Forces of the Philippines would make a policy recommendation, but “the commander-in-chief, the President himself, has the full authority to decide on this.”
This followed the December 4 incident, where Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons and side-swiped a Manila fisheries bureau boat delivering supplies to Filipino fishermen near Scarborough Shoal, a crucial fishing ground.
Philippine Coast Guard vessels also faced “blocking, shadowing, and dangerous maneuvers” from a Chinese navy vessel.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy has remained firm in maintaining its presence in the West Philippine Sea.
“We have always been there; our posture there did not weaken. That’s the stand of our government through the different instrumentalities in the maritime domain, along with the Philippine Navy,” said Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, spokesperson of Philippine Navy for the West Philippine Sea, in a radio interview on Wednesday, December 11.
Trinidad also emphasized that Navy and Air Force units, under the Western Command and Northern Luzon Command, regularly patrol the West Philippine Sea.
He asserted that there is no need to respond every time China employs “grey zone” tactics—actions described as illegal, coercive, and deceptive, such as using Chinese Coast Guard ships to harass Filipino vessels engaged in lawful activities like resupplying and fishing.
“We must look at all instruments of national power,” Trinidad said, emphasizing that diplomacy, political, informational, economic, and military strategies should work in tandem to protect the country’s territorial integrity.
He also reaffirmed that China does not control the West Philippine Sea, saying, “That’s what they want (others) to think. They are not in control of the WPS, we are freely performing our mandate of patrolling the seas and the air, of fighting for our sovereignty, of showing the flag. It’s like this, they are there, we are also there.”
Photo credit: Presidential Communications Office. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
