Marcos: Defense must be ‘vigorous’

The country will “vigorously defend what is ours,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stressed on Saturday amid the escalating maritime row with China.

The statement was among the strongest thus far coming from the Chief Executive in the brewing territorial conflict.

“But our conduct must always be guided by law and by our responsibility as a rules-abiding member of the community of nations,” he said at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) graduation ceremony.

Over the past several months, Philippine boats on a mission to resupply troops deployed on the grounded BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal had been harassed by Chinese ships using increasingly aggressive tactics, including blasting water cannons and laser beams on the Filipino crews.

Over the weekend, China unveiled a law that authorizes its Coast Guard to detain what it termed as trespassers of its borders, implying the WPS, for a maximum of 60 days without trial.

The regulation, which China is set to enforce on 15 June, came after a Filipino civilian maritime convoy successfully delivered food and fuel to fisherfolk at Panatag Shoal in the WPS.

‘Defend our sovereignty’

In a message to reporters on Saturday, Speaker Martin Romualdez said the House leadership “will not tolerate” the arrest of Filipinos, particularly fishermen, within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the country which includes Scarborough or Panatag Shoal and Ayungin Shoal.

“We will fiercely defend our sovereignty and ensure the safety and rights of our people,” Romualdez said.

President Marcos in his address to the new PMA graduates, which did not specifically mention China, said, “Against intruders who have been disrespecting our territorial integrity, we will vigorously defend what is ours.”

Marcos told the members of Bagong Sinag Class of 2024 the nation faces “a blatant disregard of internationally accepted principles.”

He urged them to “keep our people safe in their homes, our territory secure, our defenses against threats strong, and our democracy stable.”

Beijing claims most of the West Philippine Sea, brushing off claims by the Philippines and an international ruling that its nine-dash line claim has no legal basis.

To press its claim, Beijing deploys coast guard and other vessels to patrol the waterway and has turned several reefs into artificial islands that it has militarized.

Atin Ito sail

A convoy led by the Atin Ito coalition of various civil groups sailed towards Scarborough Shoal to take fuel and food supplies to the Filipino fishermen in the area. It later turned back after one of the boats was shadowed by a Chinese navy ship.

China defends its actions by saying that it takes necessary measures against vessels infringing on its territory.

Marcos said the Philippines’ conduct would be “always guided by law and our responsibility as a rules-abiding member of the community of nations.”

He has said that Manila will not respond in kind to the use of water cannons against its vessels.

Victory at Panatag

Atin Ito spokesperson Emman Hizon said their group achieved a “major victory” on 15 May after they advanced to the vicinity of Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc despite a massive blocking force of Chinese vessels.

Roughly 200 volunteers and 100 fisherfolk on board five wooden-hulled fishing boats and 100 smaller boats left Zambales on Wednesday morning for Panatag Shoal.

Atin Ito co-convenor and Akbayan president Rafaela David deemed China’s threats against so-called trespassers in the WPS a “clear indication of their desperation.”

“It is China that is trespassing in our seas. These threats are not only a violation of international law but also an admission by China that our peaceful, civilian-led initiatives are effective and winning the hearts and minds of many in the global community,” she said.

Review curriculum

Marcos ordered the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to review the curriculum of the PMA as the country faces “evolving threats.”

“The PMA has long been a reliable institution in nation-building. However, in this time of great complexity, the PMA needs to step up and take on the task of ensuring that the next generation of leaders of the country is ready for the emerging and future challenges,” he said.

“So, I direct the DND and AFP leadership to review the PMA curriculum to ensure that our cadets will be equipped with the 21st-century skills necessary to counter conventional and asymmetric threats,” he said.

Marcos said the defense posture should include the country’s “new battlegrounds,” such as “confronting disinformation and infiltration in cyberspace.”

He cited the evolving threats that “harm our people and corrode social and political trust.”

“Attempts to divert the Filipinos’ attention and dissipate their vigilance should not draw the new military officers away from the threats the nation is facing,” he said.