Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed belief that the maritime cooperative activity of the United States, Australia, Japan and the Philippines held within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) was a strong demonstration of solidarity amid China’s continued refusal to honor international law. 

“Joint maritime activities like the MCA are always welcome. This shows that the Philippines is not alone in ensuring that the Indo-Pacific remains free, open, and secure,” Hontiveros said in a statement.

“This demonstration of solidarity strengthens the international consensus that the Chinese government's territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea are baseless and in direct violation of the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas),” she stressed. 

She also said the MCA does reinforce the country’s legislation like the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, as this measure was crafted in alignment with international law, particularly with the UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Ruling.

“The Maritime Zones Act also clearly established that the maritime features and territories that we claim on the western side of our archipelago are collectively known as the West Philippine Sea, which the Philippine government has jurisdiction over, not Beijing or any other regional power,” she said. 

The U.S. Navy had said the decision to conduct maritime activity within the Philippines’ EEZ last February 5 was to enhance cooperation and interoperability. 

Against this backdrop, a spokesperson for Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command said China had conducted a routine patrol in the South China Sea on the same day, Wednesday.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a statement that the MCA demonstrated the participants' “collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Brawner also stressed that the exercise highlights the Philippine government’s commitment “to upholding the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace.”