Zubiri: Phl should continue activities promoting freedom of navigation in WPS

The Philippines should continue activities that would promote freedom of navigation, especially in the West Philippine Sea, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Monday.

Zubiri called on the Filipinos to be ready for all eventualities amid the increasing tensions in the WPS. 

"We must be ready at all times to defend our motherland, our beloved country, the Philippines. We don’t want war with other countries," he said during a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo, shortly after he was conferred with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Philippine Army Reserve Unit. 

"I am in favor of multilateral programs, projects, that will assist us on freedom of navigation in the West Philippine Sea that will assist us in the rule of law, in the adherence to UNCLOS, where all parties in the ASEAN region are part of, including our neighboring countries," he added. 

Zubiri touted the recently conducted multilateral maritime activity among the Philippines, Japan, Australia, and the United States in the WPS.

"This does not show that we want war. What we show here is that our like-minded countries are ready - those who believe in freedom of navigation, those who believe that anyone can go exercise freedom of navigation - even if you are a fisherman or a merchant ship without obstacle and no one will stop you, and you will not be given a verbal warning that you are trespassing in this ocean area. So, I am in support of that," Zubiri stressed. 

"Because we need to continuously keep the freedom of navigation and rule of law and a code of conduct in the West Philippine Sea, and all the other territories outside of the Philippines," he further noted.