President Marcos made the right decision when he informed the international community about incidents of harassments in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), retired rPhilippine Navy general Rommel Jude Ong said on Tuesday, Dec. 12.

The Chief Executive has been speaking with the international community in an attempt to find a non-aggressive solution to the WPS issues between the Philippines and China.

“Tama po ang direksiyon ng posture ni President Marcos, iyong ipahiwatig o ipaalam sa international community iyong nangyari dito sa South China Sea at saka sa West Philippine Sea, kasi po ito iyong isang istratehiya na maaaring mag-moderate ng behavior ang China, kasi po hindi lang naman po sa South China Sea ang engagement ng China mayroon din ibang kalakaran na kailangan silang makipag-deal sa international community (The direction of the posture of President Marcos is correct, to indicate or inform the international community what happened here in the South China Sea and also in the West Philippine Sea, because this is a strategy that can moderate China's behavior, because it is not China's engagement is only in the South China Sea, there is also a different trend that they need to deal with the international community),” he said during a televised public briefing.

“So, tama po ito na in a way ay internationalize natin iyong isyu as a way of moderating iyong behavior ng China (So, in a way it’s right to internationalize the issue as a way of moderating China’s behavior),” he went on.

Timely to invoke US treaty?

For Ong, it is still very early to invoke the mutual defense treaty of the Philippines with the US.

“Tingin ko po medyo maaga pa. Sa tingin ko ang ano natin—kaya pa naman ng Pilipinas na ipagtanggol ang ating sovereign right sa exclusive economic zone (I think it's a bit early. I think what we—the Philippines can still defend our sovereign right in the exclusive economic zone),” he said when asked about the possible invocation of the mutual defense treaty.

To combat China's efforts in the WPS, Ong stated that it might be essential to reevaluate Philippine policy or examine government resources that are at the country’s disposal.

“Iyong ginagawa po ng Department of [National] Defense at saka Armed Forces [of the Philippines] iyong engagement, recently with the United States at saka Australia, in terms of iyong what we call combine the maritime activities, tama po iyon na direksiyon,  in terms of signaling as a form of creating a deterrent effect (The recent engagement of the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the US and Australia, in terms of what we call combine the maritime activities, that’s the right direction, in terms of signaling as a form of creating a deterrent effect ),” he said.

On Dec. 9, the latest in a string of aggressive incidents by Chinese vessels in Philippine waters, a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship fired water cannon at Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels that were delivering supplies to fisherfolk communities in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough/Panatag Shoal).