The Philippine Navy will add more manpower and resources to its two major commands in charge of the security in the western part of the country, a military official said on Tuesday, April 1.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said change in the organizational structure approved by the Department of National Defense (DND) will make the top post of the naval component of the Western Command and the Northern Luzon Command as a two-star rank position, from a one-star rank position.
The Western Command and the Northern Luzon Command are two of the major unified commands of the Armed Forces of the Philippines composed of the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force.
For the naval component of the Western Command, it is in charge of the defense and security of most parts of the West Philippine Sea while Northern Luzon covers the area of Batanes, Bajo de Masinloc, Babuyan Group of Islands and Benham Rise.
“And then we will have additional forces for our fleet units, the Philippine Marine Corps and the other naval units under them,” said Trinidad.
And part of that change is the deployment of the newly-procured and soon-to-arrive warships in these areas, including the two warships that are expected to be delivered from South Korea this year.
The Philippines is locked in a territorial dispute with neighboring countries in the West Philippine Sea, particularly China which has been flexing its muscles in the area over its claim of almost the entire South China Sea.
The claim was rejected by the United Nations tribunal in a case filed by the administration of then president Noynoy Aquino.
The increased presence of China in the West Philippine Sea also signaled the start of the aggressive modernization program of the AFP, starting with the procurement of fighter jets from South Korea.
Trinidad admitted that the Philippines has small and limited capabilities in the West Philippine Sea compared to today when several modern military hardware were already procured.
But he said the increased military capability in the West Philippine Sea area is part of the shift to the external defense strategy of the AFP.
“We are now shifting to external defense. And in implementing the archipelago defense concept, we are doing archipelagic defense operations. So, we have to be ready,” said Trinidad.
And the change in the naval organization structure for both the Western Command and the Northern Luzon, according to Trinidad, is part of it.
“This will have a big impact because we are focusing on internal defense before. So when we look at the external picture, it would mean changes in the way we do things, the organization, the capabilities, manpower, personnel, and all the dimensions of the AFP,” said Trinidad.