Ensure observance of international rules and norms to protect the lives and the livelihoods of the people.
It was the core message of United States Vice President Kamala Harris' trip to Palawan, where she made a historic move to become the first US vice president and the highest US government official to set foot in the island province closest to the hotly-contested South China Sea.
The rules and norms, according to a senior administration official in a recent briefing, included the "principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and freedom of navigation," which are all relevant to the country's challenges in its claim over parts of the South China Sea.
Harris' remark came as the Philippines, considered by the US as its Indo-Pacific ally, still struggles with issues in the West Philippine Sea, a part of the larger South China Sea, which included the harassment of Filipino fishers and China's continuous reclamation activities.
Upon landing in Palawan, the Vice President visited Tagburos, a small fishing village that provides about half of its capital's fish supplies, to discuss the impacts of illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing on the marine ecosystem and the local economy.
She then reiterated her discussion with the locals during her eventual meeting with the country's maritime patrollers and defenders, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), onboard PCG's largest ship, BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701).
She noted that the fisheries of Palawan "not only provide food for residents, but serve as economic life blood" of the island.
"The stories I have heard made clear this community has come together to sustainably manage natural resources. Despite many challenges, I saw the strength of the Palawan community," Harris said in her speech delivered onboard the BRP Teresa Magbanua.
"However, the vitality of communities like this is at risk. Communities like this have seen the consequences, and people here know the impacts when foreign vessels enter Philippine water sand illegally deplete the fishing stock—when they harass and intimidate local fishers, when pollute the ocean and destroy the marine ecosystem," she added.
Harris said illegal, unregulated and unreported illegal fishing is far "too common" and presents a "direct threat" to coastal ecosystems and economies.
Committed to invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) in case of attack against the Philippine armed forces and its assets in the South China Sea, Harris pushed to uphold the international rules-based order in the waters.
"The theme of strengthening the rules-based order is a recurring one throughout the Vice President's foreign engagements," a fact sheet provided by the White House on Monday night read.
"And she will recommit to our alliance with the Philippines and underscore the importance of international law, unimpeded lawful commerce, and freedom of navigation," it added.
Coast Guard partnerships
In her trip, the Vice President made several announcements to strengthen the US partnership with the PCG for maritime security. It included the following:
• A $7.5 million additional assistance for the Philippine maritime law enforcement agencies to increase their capacity and capabilities to counter illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing; improve maritime domain awareness; and provide search and rescue support,
• A new initiative to upgrade and expand PCG's vessel traffic management system, which will lead to better maritime safety, and
• The Philippines' capacity to receive near-real-time data under the Quad's Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness initiative, an effort that uses commercial space-based platforms to deliver a common operating picture of waterways to promote transparency and to detect and counter illicit activities.
The White House also said Harris built on various initiatives earlier announced, which included the US' support for sustainable fishing in the South China Sea through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
"Through this partnership, USAID is also announcing a grant to a local organization to implement conservation and climate change actions in the South China Sea, including but not limited to building capacity in marine resource governance, conducting marine scientific research and disseminating findings, raising public awareness about the importance of the South China Sea, and supporting sustainable natural resource production by coastal communities and micro- and small enterprises," the fact sheet read.