Philippine map (Unsplash)





Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte is optimistic that joint maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) between the Philippines and its ally countries would happen  "sooner than latter". This, as the House leader noted the growing international opposition to China's expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea. “There are clear signs indeed that joint maritime patrols in Philippine waters with the US (United States), and possibly with other like-minded allies like Australia and Japan that are aspiring for a stable and peaceful Indo-Pacific region, are happening sooner than later against the backdrop of incessant, increasingly aggressive incursions by Chinese vessels into our territory and EEZ,” Villafuerte said. EEZ stands for exclusive economic zone, which stretches out of 200 nautical miles. Villafuerte, majority leader of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA), said the planned joint maritime patrols has gained traction with the move of 22 countries to support the Philippines’ assertion of its sovereignty over the WPS, on the seventh anniversary of its landmark Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) victory against China's expansive claims. At a forum commemorating the anniversary of the Philippines' July 12, 2016 legal victory, the ambassadors of six counties--the US, Australia, Japan, France, the United Kingdom (UK) and India--supported efforts to build a stronger maritime defense alliance in the Indo-Pacific region. Sixteen members of the European Union (EU) had also issued a joint statement stating, “The EU reiterates the fundamental importance of upholding the freedoms, rights, and duties established in UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), in particular the freedoms of navigation and overflight.” The signatories to the EU joint statement were Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Austria, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden. The PCA ruling upheld the Philippines' legal rights over the WPS as part of the country’s EEZ, and at the same time invalidated China’s nine-dash line claim that practically covered the entire South China Sea. “The appropriate approach for us right now to better defend our territory against the bullying ways of a military superpower like China is to secure Philippine waters," Villafuerte said.