Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief-of-Staff General Romeo Brawner reminded the public to be vigilant against fake information being spread about a possible war with China due to the heightened tension in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“There is a lot of fake news circulating that we will go to war. We want to tell our countrymen not to worry because we are doing everything, we can to avoid a war,” Brawner said in an ambush interview shortly after the Basic Citizen Military Course Class graduation ceremony at the Baguio Country Club on Saturday.

Brawner said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the military to be diplomatic to avoid an armed conflict.

“The President’s order is for us to exhaust all possible measures and actions to prevent war because if this happens, we will all lose —whether the Philippines or other big countries. We will all lose. No one wins in a war,” he said.

Brawner assured that while the Philippines will prevent a war, the country will continue to assert its sovereignty and sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone.

Meanwhile, Brawner lambasted China’s aggressions in Philippine waters.

“They are the ones provoking and escalating the tension in the WPS. This was evident during the last resupply mission [to Ayungin Shoal],” he said.

He stressed that Filipinos continue to follow international laws and promote a rules-based order in asserting the country’s rights in the WPS.

Japan joining Balikatan

Japan may take part in the annual Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) Exercise that is currently held between the Philippines and the United States once the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Tokyo is signed.

Brawner said the Philippines will continue to conduct the large-scale Balikatan exercise with more countries in defiance of persistent protests from China.

“We will have a Balikatan exercise every year and for next year — 2025 — we are expecting that we will have again a big exercise and hopefully we will have other nations joining us,” Brawner told reporters.

“These are not only the United States and Australia, but we are also trying to get Japan, because we are hoping the Reciprocal Access Agreement would be signed very soon,” he said.

The proposed RAA will facilitate the procedures and set guidelines when Philippine forces visit Japan for military training and joint exercises.