ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 3rd joint patrol in WPS held by PH, US militaries

3rd joint patrol in WPS held by PH, US militaries

Published Feb 10, 2024 04:45 am

At A Glance

  • The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and United States Indo-Pacific Command (US INDOPACOM) conducted the third Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) on Friday, Feb. 9. 
  • The MCA was marked by a joint patrol operation in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) amid heating tension with China.
  • BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-15) and Agusta Westland (AW) 109 helicopter (NH434) surveyed the WPS with USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) and Sikorsky MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter.
  • The latest MCA coincided with the recent warning issued to "relevant parties in the Philippines" by China not to "play with fire."
joint patrol wps.jpg
Philippine Navy ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PS15) and US Navy ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) sail together in the West Philippine Sea during the third Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) on Feb. 9, 2024. (Photo by Armed Forces of the Philippines)

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and United States Indo-Pacific Command (US INDOPACOM) conducted the third Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) on Friday, Feb. 9, which was marked by a joint patrol operation in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) amid heating tension with China.

AFP Chief, General Romeo Brawner Jr. said that the activity reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to bolster regional security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

“The continuous maritime cooperative activity manifests the enduring partnership between the Philippines and the U.S. militaries. It demonstrates our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, and fosters closer cooperation towards further enhancing our maritime capabilities,” Brawner noted.

During the activity, the Philippine Navy deployed patrol ship BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-15) and Agusta Westland (AW) 109 helicopter (NH434) to survey the WPS together with the US Navy’s USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) and Sikorsky MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter.

They participated in advanced planning and maritime communication operations within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as part of the MCA. Aside from that, the Filipino and American troops also held communication exercise, photo exercise, and division tactics or Officer of the Watch Maneuver.

Brawner said the exercises were designed to improve the coordination and cooperation between the two forces in various maritime scenarios.

The recent MCA was the third iteration between the AFP and US INDOPACOM as both forces agreed to continuously enhance their interoperability through the conduct of maritime security and maritime domain awareness operations.

The first MCA was held from Nov. 21 to 23, 2023 while the second one was last Jan. 3 to 4 this year.

The latest MCA coincided with the recent warning issued to “relevant parties in the Philippines” by China not to “play with fire” after Department of National Defense (DND) Sec. Gilberto Teodoro Jr. directed the AFP to fortify its territorial defense capabilities in the northern frontier close to Taiwan, a self-ruled island being claimed by Beijing.

Teodoro, Brawner and other ranking military officials visited critical facilities across Batanes and Cagayan last Feb. 6 including the naval detachments in Basco and Mavulis Island in Itbayat, the Itbayat Airport, the under-construction Naval Forward Operating Base Mahatao in Batan Island, and Port Irene in Sta. Ana town.

During the visit, Teodoro ordered Brawner to increase the military’s operational tempo as he called for the development of more structures in the northernmost region of the Philippines, which is approximately 200 kilometers from Taiwan.

Asked about the matter, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that China and the Philippines “are neighbors across the sea” with a long history of “friendly exchanges” in their bilateral relations.

Wang said that the Taiwan question “is at the heart of China’s core interests and is a red line and bottom line that must not be crossed.”

He added: “Relevant parties in the Philippines need to understand it clearly, tread carefully and don’t play with fire on this question to avoid being manipulated and eventually hurt.”

Related Tags

Armed Forces of the Philippines Taiwan Gilberto Teodoro Jr. us indopacom AFP PH-China joint patrol WPS debate romeo brawner jr. West Philippine Sea
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.