Manhit: WPS coercion must not be normalized

Stratbase Institute President Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit on Friday said the “persistent pattern of coercion” in the West Philippine Sea must not be normalized or tolerated and should instead be confronted with “firm, coordinated, and decisive measures” from the Philippines and other like-minded nations.

In his opening remarks at a high-level symposium titled “Safeguarding the Maritime Domain for the Free and Open Indo-Pacific” held in Makati City on 6 March, Manhit condemned what he described as a “clear and escalating pattern of coercion” involving Chinese state and state-linked vessels in the West Philippine Sea.

Manhit cited Philippine Coast Guard data recording 64 illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions against Philippine missions or vessels in 2025 alone. These incidents included dangerous maneuvers, shadowing, water cannon attacks, collisions, radio challenges and live-fire exercises.

“These are only the incidents that were reported and made public. Far from the cameras and the headlines, many more acts of intimidation occur at sea—often involving Filipino fishermen and frontline personnel who continue to operate under constant pressure and uncertainty,” Manhit said.

He added: “The growing frequency and intensity of these incidents are deeply alarming. Such behavior, as we have stressed time and again, should not and cannot be normalized or tolerated. It must be met with firm, coordinated, and decisive measures to end this persistent pattern of coercion."

National Security Adviser and Director General Eduardo Año said authorities remain “deeply concerned” over the continuing use of ICAD tactics by China, referring to illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive activities.

These actions, Año said, are designed to alter facts on the water while remaining below the threshold of armed conflict.

He stressed that the 2016 arbitral award “was clear...it invalidated China’s illegal nine now 10-dash line claim or the expansive maritime claims unsupported by UNCLOS – affirming the Philippines’ sovereign rights within its EEZ and clarifying the legal status of certain maritime features.”

“More fundamentally, it reinforced the principle that disputes must be resolved through law rather than force,” he added.

Manhit also said the Philippines “cannot—and should not—stand alone” in promoting a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, through which nearly two-thirds of global trade passes.

“This is why the issue before us is not solely a Philippine concern. It is a regional and global one,” he said.

“Safeguarding the maritime domain is not simply about defending territory. It is about defending the principles that allow nations—large and small—to coexist peacefully: respect for international law, freedom of navigation, and the peaceful management of disputes.”

He emphasized the need to forge stronger partnerships with like-minded nations, including the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, France and India, which he said “believe in openness, transparency, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.”

Hosted by Stratbase Institute and the Japan Institute of International Affairs, the symposium brought together scholars, policymakers and practitioners across the Indo-Pacific region to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation under the Free and Open Indo-Pacific framework.

The framework, introduced by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2016, focuses on three pillars: promoting fundamental values such as the rule of law and freedom of navigation, pursuing economic prosperity and ensuring peace and stability.

Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya said the framework must “evolve at this juncture...[as] the world has changed considerably” since its inception.

He added that Japan “places the utmost value on its collaboration with the Philippines” and that like-minded partners “must work together to uphold and reinforce a free and open international order.”

Endo also noted that Japan anticipates “strengthened participation” of the Japan Self-Defense Forces in the upcoming Balikatan exercises.