Various experts have come together to call on the government and the public to counter China's "gray zone operations"—or activities short of being called as war—in the South China Sea amid its continuous aggression in the waters.
Delivering a keynote address at a forum organized by Stratbase ADR Institute on Wednesday, German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel warned against the gray zone operations in the South China Sea through non-military means in a bid to assert one's territorial claims.
The non-military means included the deployment of Coast Guard vessels, maritime militias, and the fortification of islands and elevations.
The diplomat did not mention any country in particular, but China has been reported by Philippine authorities multiple times committing such actions.
For Reiffenstuel, such activities undermine international law and "pose a significant threat to regional security and stability."
And since these actions "are mostly below the threshold of military conflict," she said "adequate and yet balanced response is challenging."
Renato De Castro, trustee of Stratbase ADRi, said that through gray zone operations, China is working to subjugate its neighbors before its eventual "major expansion."
That is what he said "an authoritarian vision of maritime sovereignty inside China's nine dash line."
So for the Philippines to act against grey zone operations that undermine its sovereignty, De La Salle Associate Professor Charmaine Willoughby pushed to "demystify" it.
Willoughby said there is a need to break down its concept because "that is one way in which the Philippines can draft a more responsive national security strategy."
"One way to do that is to understand that China uses coercion, whether militarised or non-militarised, to establish our reputation for result in defending its sovereignty," she said, noting China's consistent deployment of the Philippines' economic progression information campaigns as well as the use of proxy forces, like maritime militia.
"We then need to look at the economic and geopolitical costs at play when it tries to exercise this result," she added.
Multilateral cooperation or forming an alliance is one way to counter grey zone operations, according to De Castro. That is because it generates "assurances to reduce a weaker idealised sense of vulnerability by promising protection."
But while it is a convenient way, a "political will" is also necessary. De Castro said it is important for President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to develop such will "stand up" against China.
"The challenge for the Philippines to show that it has political will is to take the offensive. So this required what I call conducting shaping operations against China," he said.
In ongoing grey zone operations, De Castro asserted the Philippines should not always be the victim.
"You should take the initiative to take the battle to the other side. Of course, not to the military means, but simply… giving the other side a dose of their medicine," he added.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Commodore Jay Tarriela, retired US Air Force Col. Raymond Powell and retired Rear Admiral Rommel Jude Ong also delivered their insights during the forum, while Jay Batongbacal of University of the Philippines College of Law made a pre-recorded remark.
They all called for the government and the public cooperation in countering such operations by continuously publicizing its aggressive activities, supporting the government by paying the right taxes for the country's defense fund and to seek support from like-minded nations within the ASEAN.