Allies at sea: Phl, Indian warships sail in WPS

Aboard BRP Jose Rizal — The two-day bilateral maritime cooperative activity (MCA) between the naval forces of the Philippines and India in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) continued unimpeded despite the monitored presence of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy in nearby waters.

The joint naval exercise began Sunday, with the Philippine Navy deploying the BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) and BRP Miguel Malvar (FFG06), alongside the Indian Navy’s guided-missile destroyer INS Delhi (D61), fleet tanker INS Shakti (A57), and anti-submarine warfare corvette INS Kiltan (P30).

At 1:52 p.m. on Sunday, while vessels were sailing together toward the designated maritime exercise area, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) aircraft C-208 detected and monitored the PLA-Navy Luyang Class Destroyer with bow number 161 at approximately 26 nautical miles (nm) off BRP Malvar (FFG-06).

At 2:57 p.m., the same PAF aircraft detected another PLA-Navy Jiangkai II Class frigate with bow number 551 approximately 24 nm away.

At around 4 p.m., the Chinese vessels became visible to media embedded on the BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) while sailing in waters off Cabra Island in Lubang, Occidental Mindoro.

The Chinese presence continued until the execution of the remaining maritime exercises on Monday afternoon.

Resounding success

Navy Lieutenant Jermin Roy Diaz, the acting operations officer of the BRP Jose Rizal, stressed that all scheduled activities during the joint naval drills were carried out as planned.

“Overall, the first Philippine-Indian maritime cooperative activity is considered a very successful one. All activities scheduled were conducted as planned, everything went well and all the activities of the task force were met,” Diaz emphasized. 

The participating warships conducted an air defense exercise, maneuvering/photo exercise, rescue and assistance at sea, man overboard operation, anti-submarine warfare exercise, replenishment at sea, and passing exercise.

The Chinese vessels distanced themselves from the Philippine Navy ships after the Indian Navy left the exercise operational area on Monday afternoon.

Like-minded nations

AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. confirmed the successful completion of a historic maritime exercise with the Indian Navy in the WPS. 

“The results are good. We have met their objectives for the exercise and it is the first time in history that we have had a maritime sail with the Indian Navy,” Brawner told reporters shortly before the departure of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s departure for India on Monday. 

“So we are hoping this will continue so that we have more exercises and maritime activities with the Indian Navy,” he added. 

Brawner noted that no untoward incidents occurred during the activity.

“Wala tying na-experience na untoward incident. But, may mag nags ha-shadow, shadow pa rin sa atin (We didn’t experience any untoward incident. But, there were shadowing). We expected that already,” he said. 

Brawner earlier emphasized that the exercise marks a milestone in defense cooperation between the two nations, aimed at strengthening maritime security and interoperability in the Indo-Pacific region.

He said the first-ever Philippine-India MCA was finalized following discussions at the Raisina Dialogue 2025 in New Delhi held from March 17 to 19, 2025. 

Philippines and India continue to strengthen their defense partnership, as tensions in the South China Sea (SCS) persist. 

The growing cooperation comes amid criticism from Beijing over joint military exercises between Manila and its allies.

Beijing has not publicly commented on the upcoming India-Philippines military drills, but it has routinely denounced Manila’s similar activities as interference by “outside powers” in regional disputes. 

China maintains sweeping territorial claims in the SCS, including areas within the Philippines' EEZ.

India, meanwhile, has voiced consistent support for Manila in its maritime dispute with Beijing. Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reaffirmed New Delhi's backing of the Philippines “for upholding its national sovereignty.”

China fumed after India voiced support for the Philippines. 

Defense cooperation between the two nations has expanded in recent years. 

In May last year, three Indian Navy warships made a port call in the Philippines, engaging in official discussions and cross-deck visits to boost interoperability.

A major milestone in the partnership came in 2023 when the Philippines became the first foreign recipient of India’s BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles as part of Manila’s military modernization efforts. 

In April this year, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. confirmed that a second batch of the BrahMos missiles—jointly developed by India and Russia—was expected to be delivered soon.

The growing India-Philippines security ties signal an increasingly strategic alignment as both nations navigate rising geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. 

The MCA comes as both Manila and New Delhi continue to face territorial disputes with China in their respective maritime domains.