United States Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday the Philippines must "stand up" for its principles, such as the respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, unimpeded lawful commerce, peaceful resolution of disputes and the freedom of navigation and overfly in the South China Sea and in the Indo-Pacific.
Speaking aboard BRP Teresa Magbanua on the waters of Palawan, the province closest to the South China Sea, Harris made a bold push for the country to defend such principles, especially against illicit activities and harassment experienced by Filipino fishers in the disputed waters.
"Communities like this have seen the consequences. And people here know the impacts when foreign vessels enter Philippine waters and illegally deplete the fishing stock, when they harass and intimidate global fishers, when they pollute the ocean and destroy the marine ecosystem," she said.
Harris then reminded members of the Philippine Coast Guard that they are "in the frontlines for standing up for the international rules-based order."
"Each and every day, as you patrol these waters, you uphold the rules and norms that are vital to the prosperity of the Filipino people and the people around the world," she added.
Harris said the US and the world "have a profound stake" in the future of the Indo-Pacific region.
"America's prosperity relies on the billions of dollars that flow through these waters every day. And we are proud to work with you in your mission," she said.
Harris said the Western giant is ready to stand with the Philippines "in the face of intimidation and coercion in the South China Sea" as it supports the 2016 UN arbitral tribunal ruling, "which delivered a unanimous and final decision" firmly rejecting China's expansive South China Sea maritime claims.
"The tribunal's decision is legally binding and must be respected," she asserted.
"We will continue to rally our allies and partners against unlawful and irresponsible behavior. When the international rules-based order is threatened somewhere, it is threatened everywhere," she added.
In her remark, the Vice President also announced a $7.5 million worth of assistance to help the country fight illegal, unregulated and unreported illegal fishing, which she said go against internal norms and rules.
She also said the US will help the Philippines enhance its monitoring systems and upgrade its equipment.
US, Kamala added, will give the Philippines "a wider and more accurate picture of their territorial waters" through an initiative that uses space-based platforms to deliver a common operating picture of Indo-Pacific waterways.
It would "promote transparency. so that our allies and partners can better protect vulnerable fisheries, respond to humanitarian disasters, and detect and counter illicit activities," she added.