Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino called on President Marcos and the Department of National Defense (DND) to immediately craft guidelines for creating a West Philippine Sea Command.
He stated this during the Kapihan Sa Senado forum on Wednesday, Feb. 12, after the Philippine Navy (PN) monitored a Chinese research vessel that entered the country’s archipelagic waters over the weekend. He added that this will be separate from the Western and Northern Command.
“It is about time, for purposes of implementing the Philippine Maritime Zones Law, that we create our own new command which is the West Philippine Sea Command for maritime security, for improved response capabilities, for both the Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard, and for enhanced coordination between those two naval agencies including the Philippine National Police Maritime Command,” Tolentino said.
"It will now improve our response capabilities because a dedicated command would provide focus, leadership, resources, and operational capabilities to address security challenges. Establishing a dedicated command would strengthen the AFP’s capacity to safeguard national interest, enforce sovereignty and ensure the security of our maritime domain,” he added.
Tolentino said that he would be writing a letter to the President to lay down everything in terms of operational and strategic reasons as to why it is necessary within the week.
"Sa akin I truly believe that a separate West Philippine Sea Command is needed at the moment, at this time to show our resolve and determination that we are ready to implement the Philippine Maritime Zones Law as well as protect our national territory," he said.
Chinese research vessel “Lan Hai 101” was first detected navigating within the eastern waters of Palawan last Feb. 9, according to Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, PN spokesperson for West Philippine Sea (WPS).
As of 6 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, Trinidad said the research ship was monitored to be 17 nautical miles west, northwest of Cabra Island in Lubang, Occidental Mindoro. It was proceeding northward at a speed of 12 knots while heading to Shandong, China.
President Marcos signed into law the landmark Republic Act 12064 or the Philippine Maritime Zones (PMZ) Act, a measure principally authored and sponsored by Tolentino.
Tolentino, who also chairs the Senate Special Committee on Philippine Maritime and Admiralty Zones has since countered China's repeated criticisms about the newly signed law, noting the PMZ Act fully complies with international laws.
"If other nations can assert their claims, so too can the Philippines. We have every right to delineate our maritime boundaries and protect our national interests," said Tolentino.