The Philippine government must strengthen the operational capability of its Coast Guard and naval force if it wants to fully protect the country’s coast and economic zone.
Currently, Stratbase President Professor Dindo Manhit said the maritime capability of the Philippines is lagging behind compared to its Asian neighbors, especially those that are engaged in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.
“It's not simply traditional. I always used the term asymmetric - it is not what is in front of you. You see fishing boats; you see harassment by Chinese coast guards in our territory. That’s not war. But that’s actually coercion of our people, coercion of our fisher folks. Then the overfishing, that might be affecting our own marine resources. That is basically stealing from the resources of another nation - That’s actual war. But there’s no bombing, there’s no killing,” Manhit said.
“We all know it’s part of what we call their aggression based on the strategies of the gray zone—there is no actual conflict but there’s already conflict. They are what we call non-traditional conflicts and we seem to have lost our edge there because we are not ready to confront them,” he argued.
The Philippines is locked in a territorial dispute with China and other neighbor-countries in the West Philippine Sea, with China flexing its muscles the most as revealed by the construction of facilities in the disputed areas, as well as the presence of Chinese Coast Guards and militias which resulted in the Filipino fishermen being denied the opportunity to go to the traditional fishing ground.
Although cases of harassment have declined in the past few years, security experts said it is visible that the claimants have the control over the disputed areas.
Aside from the Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy, Manhit said the enforcement capability of the Bureau of Fisheries should also be prioritized.
“We believe that in Stratbase ADR Institute, we live in a rules-based international order. And that rule of law, the international rule of law, makes a country, a small country like the Philippines, equal to bigger countries like China. It defines what is our economic zone, exclusive economic zone. It defines what is our sovereign territory,” said Manhit.
He also urged the government to strengthen its relationship with state allies beyond China and the United States.
“This is what I believe is a truly independent foreign policy, when you engage other countries and not limit yourself to either the China way or the American way. If America is part of that liberal democratic order, I’ll go with that, the institute goes for that. But not only the US, but the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand and other strong democracies India, which is part of this broad Indo-Pacific that will drive the world economy in terms of trade and investment,” Professor Manhit said.
In this context, the Stratbase Group will gather key government officials, the diplomatic community, security and geopolitical experts, and the civil society in a 2-day conference on November 21 and 22, 2022 entitled Pilipinas Conference 2022: Onward to New Beginnings: Sustaining and Improving Philippine Development.
Attending the event are key government leaders including Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation to the Philippines Luc Veron, and Australian Embassy Charge d’affaires Richard Sisson.
Also attending are top government security officials, geopolitics experts, key officials of the biggest corporations in the country, and representatives of the diplomatic community.