THE Philippines maintains its stance of resolving disputes in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) through peaceful means, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.
In a news forum over the weekend, PCG spokesman for WPS Commo. Jay Tarriela noted that the Coast Guard would continue to deploy its ships to the contested waters rather than have the Philippine Navy (PN) sail through to avoid “militarizing” the issue.
“The only reason you see Coast Guard vessels in the West Philippine Sea is because we don’t want to militarize the dispute,” Tarriela stated.
“We believe that the deployment of Coast Guard white hulls are de-escalatory in a way and non-provocative not just against China but even for other claimant states,” he added.
The official’s comments came after reports that Chinese maritime scientific research ships were spotted operating within and near the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) last November.
“They could be collecting data on currents, tides, or seabed characteristics, but without concrete information, we can only speculate on their objectives,” Tarriela said.
“There must be a compelling reason for the Chinese government to send three research vessels simultaneously to one specific location,” he added.
Tarriela admitted that patrolling the maritime borders of the Philippines is a big challenge for the PCG, which is why the government has turned to allied nations to beef up its capabilities.
France and Japan have stepped forward to help the PCG modernize its assets and equipment, Tarriela said.
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