It would be President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call whether or not to match the deployment of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy vessels in the South China Sea with Philippine Navy ships, a tit-for-tat that is expected to escalate the tension in the disputed waters to a new level.

For the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the decision to deploy gray ships will be up to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and its Commander-in-Chief, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“It’s up to the Commander-in-Chief and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to come up with the policy recommendation to have the reciprocity of deployment,” PCG spokesperson to the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a news forum on Saturday.

Earlier, Philippine vessels, consisting of PCG and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) boats, were “harassed” by Chinese ships with the PLA Navy shadowing a PCG vessel in Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal.

Fisherfolk fishing in the area were also harassed by the Chinese as they deployed a helicopter in the area after the PCG deployed two of its ships — the BRP Teresa Magbanua and the BRP Cape Engaño.

The BFAR vessel was conducting a humanitarian mission bringing food and fuel to the fishermen in the West Philippine Sea. The mission was successful, according to the PCG, and the boat was on its way to Bataan to evaluate the damage.

“This is the first time we experienced, on the part of the Philippine Coast Guard, [that the] BRP Teresa Magbanua [was] shadowed by a PLA Navy warship at the very close distance of 300 yards,” Tarriela said.

Chinese vessels also used water cannons on the Filipinos during the incident.

In response, the Philippines has filed a diplomatic protest in Beijing.

China, on the other hand, defended the actions of the Chinese Coast Guard and the PLA Navy, saying they were only carrying out a professional maritime law enforcement action.

While the Armed Forces is in charge of defending Philippine territories, the PCG assists the AFP in its mandate to protect and defend the Philippines against intruders in the sea.

Tariella said since the 2012 standoff at Scarborough Shoal during the term of former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III up to the current administration, the government’s strategy in the West Philippine Sea has been to deploy “white hull” PCG vessels.

The Philippine Coast Guard operates differently from the Philippine Navy despite their shared responsibility of monitoring Philippine waters.

China and other ASEAN nations agreed in the early 2000s not to militarize the maritime dispute in the South China Sea.

On Wednesday, the National Maritime Council (NMC) said it will not follow China’s actions of deploying military vessels in the West Philippine Sea as it may escalate the situation.

“We might as well put our navy vessels far away but we’re trying to monitor their activities,” said NMC Undersecretary Alexander Lopez.

“ We cannot deploy our vessels near them because it may escalate the situation,” he added.

The Philippines has been engaged in a maritime dispute with China, as the latter claims the entire South China Sea.

In 2016, the Philippines won an arbitral ruling rejecting the territorial claims of China in Philippine waters. Since then, Beijing has rejected this ruling and maintained its claims.

Strong alliance vital to the region

US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, in her address before a Rotary Club of Manila gathering, said the US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty had helped maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region since 1951.

She said the agreement the United States’ oldest treaty alliance in Asia —has been strengthened by the bilateral Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

These agreements have facilitated strong ties between the militaries of the two allies.

“Today, our forces work shoulder-to-shoulder, during complex exercises, such as Balikatan, to increase interoperability. We’ve also seen them come together when disaster strikes. Confronting the seven major storms that struck the Philippines this year, our forces collaborated with the Philippine Office of Civil Defense and USAID to bring badly needed relief supplies to communities in need,” she said.

Carlson added that in the past two years, both nations have successfully negotiated additional agreements that strengthen the foundation of their security relationship.

“These include our Bilateral Defense Guidelines signed in 2023, the Philippines Security Sector Assistance Roadmap signed in July, and our General Security of Military Information Agreement. The Defense Guidelines, Assistance Roadmap, Military Information Agreement, and numerous other initiatives that the United States government has undertaken with the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines over the past two years ensure our security relationship will continue to advance regional stability,” she said.

She said the United States is not alone in recognizing the importance of the Philippines in this effort.

“Japan, Australia, Canada, our counterparts in the EU and other like-minded partners are strengthening their security relationships with the Philippines — with the Philippine Congress poised to approve the Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement soon,” she said.

According to Carlson, the US-Philippine relationship will become more important.

“It is essential that we continue to work together to maintain the positive momentum we have generated over the past years, and foster greater stability in this region, and in the world,” she said.