Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda has called for a shift of national focus from a land-based security to maritime security.
“The Philippines is a maritime state. Our domestic insurgency has forced us to focus much of our energies on land-based security, but really, most of our territory is unhampered water. So, as we remove the socioeconomic roots of internal insurgency, we must begin the shift from land-based security to maritime security," Salceda said in statement Thursday, March 31.
His remarks were made in reaction to a recent assertion from China that Panatag Shoal was part of its “inherent territory".
Salceda, the House Committee on Ways and Means chairman, called this claim baloney.
“Panatag is ours, that much is clear. But anyone who has done real estate knows that possession and security matter almost as much as legal ownership. So, we have to invest in our naval, air, and coastal defense capabilities," he said.
“That has three defense components: First, we must have a credibly provisioned Navy. Presidents Aquino and Duterte have made significant strides toward this end, and we need to amp up their progress," Salceda said.
“Second, because we assert that Panatag and other formations and islands in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) are our sovereign territory, then we must have a modern Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)," he noted.
Salceda served as principal author of one of the measures pushing for PCG modernization, which according to is important for customs enforcement as well as for territorial defense.
“Third, we need strong airborne forces and anti-air presence in territories we control. Our airborne units have to be capable of both surveillance and deterrent military functions. Right now, our capabilities are largely on the surveillance side, but we our deterrence capabilities need improvement,” Salceda added.
The House leader added that a credible defense posture is “the strongest and most important diplomatic leverage a country can attain".
These statements notwithstanding, Salceda stressed that the Philippines must still "pursue the diplomatic path".
"War, as we have seen in Ukraine, is bad for all parties, but especially bad for innocents. But diplomacy is difficult, if not empty, if its terms cannot be enforced by credible defense,” the Bicolano said.