India has expressed its full support for the Philippines in its ongoing dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea, citing Manila's commitment to upholding the rule of law.
"India has consistently favored adherence to a rules-based order and respect for international law. We fully support our Philippine friends in their efforts to ensure that whatever happens in the seas, it respects the constitution of the seas, which is the UNCLOS," Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shambhu Kumaran said during the arrival of the Indian Navy's INS Kadmatt at Port Area, Manila on Tuesday.
Kumaran said Indian Navy ships visit the Philippines because they want to walk the talk in terms of engagement with the local navy.
"We want both navies to have engagements with each other, training and operational exchanges, and exercises because we grow when we work together. This will continue in the coming years as the Indo-Pacific Region is a key priority to India, and the Philippines is centrally located in the Indo-Pacific," he added.
He said that as very close democratic partners, both countries have shared interests in peace and stability in the region and many complementarities.
"The Philippines must expect India to continue to have a strong navy and maritime security engagement," he said.
The INS Kadmatt docked for the second time in Philippine waters after coming from a long-range deployment to key Indo-Pacific partner countries. Its first visit was in October 2017.
During Operation Turnaround, the ship was engaged in various professional engagements with the Philippine Navy.
This included courtesy calls by the commanding officer, Commodore K Syam Kiran, on the deputy commander of the Philippine Fleet; subject matter expert exchanges between both navies; and a planning conference held on board the Kadmatt for the Maritime Partnership Exercise on 13 December.
The ceremonial deck reception on the Kadmatt on Tuesday night was hosted by Ambassador Kumaran with Vice Commander Rear Admiral Caesar Valencia of the Philippine Navy, senior government officials, members of the Diplomatic Corps, and PN and AFP officers and prominent Indians in the Philippines as guests.
A maritime partnership exercise between the Kadmatt and the BRP Ramon Alcaraz was conducted on Wednesday in the West Philippine Sea to foster naval cooperation and promote common approaches for a rules-based order.
Seek Tribunal's side
Meanwhile, retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio on Wednesday urged the Marcos administration to seek the help of the international tribunal to verify the ground rules on fishing for Filipino, Chinese and Vietnamese fishermen at Scarborough Shoal.
In a television interview, Carpio said the Philippines must propose setting the ground rules with China and Vietnam regarding fishing at Scarborough Shoal, as The Hague-based tribunal had ruled that the shoal is a common fishing ground of the three countries.
"What we should do is lay the ground rules because we must determine how many tons per year each side can catch at their end. We also must allow the fish to recover. There will be a fishing season and an off-season," he said.
"We should propose this to China and Vietnam. If they do not agree, then we go to the tribunal and ask the tribunal to fix the ground rules based on our recommendations because, otherwise, China will be dictating the terms, and we will be on the losing end. We should now proactively propose the ground rules," he said.
Amphibious Aircraft
Meanwhile, Senator Robin Padilla is pushing for the country's acquisition of a Multi-Purpose Amphibious Aircraft for the Philippine Navy to allow for the more straightforward conduct of the armed forces' other missions, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster response, search and rescue at sea, maritime air surveillance, as well as intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, and other similar missions.
"The MPAAs can greatly help in supply missions. They do not need escorts, and watercraft maneuvers cannot block them. Amphibious aircraft can take off and land on land and water," Padilla said.
He said using MPAAs would reduce the travel hours for the resupply missions.
"While a current resupply mission using watercraft may take a day and a half to reach the BRP Sierra Madre, the MPAA can do this in five to eight hours," he added. "Such aircraft can greatly help in patrolling not just the West Philippine Sea but also other islands in our archipelago."