PH security forces hike WPS air, sea activities

Philippine security forces have increased their activities in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), in line with the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC) which is seen to further fortify the country’s hold of features it owns in the disputed marine area, a ranking Philippine Navy official said Tuesday.

In a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Philippine Navy spokesman Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said there has been a dramatic increase in the activities of the Armed Forces in the WPS, after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. ordered the implementation of the CADC.

“I would say majority if not all of the strategic assets of the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force are now geared toward protecting, securing, and monitoring all the way up to our exclusive economic zone (EEZ), including the WPS,” Trinidad said.

“So yes, there has been a dramatic increase in our activities in the West Philippine Sea after the pronouncement of the [Secretary of Defense],” Trinidad added.

From October 1 to October 18, 2024, there were 64 activities conducted by the Navy and the Philippine Air Force in the WPS, including the Philippine-held nine features in the Spratlys, Escoda Shoal, and Bajo de Masinloc.

“We are still monitoring the illegal presence of the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] Navy, Coast Guard, and the maritime militia. But our reporting on them will be on a monthly basis to give us a longer duration to look at trends and to assess on a longer duration, longer period of time,” Trinidad said, adding that previously, the monitoring was on a weekly basis.

“This time, we are looking at better metrics, better assessment of tools to be able to look at trends of the illegal presence of the Chinese and militia,” he said.

Part of the AFP’s increased activities in the WPS include heightened focus on Escoda Shoal.

Meanwhile, AFP spokesman Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said the increased activities in WPS included two sealift missions, 14 maritime or sovereignty patrols, one maritime surveillance patrol, one medical evacuation and two rotation and resupply missions done by naval ships.

Naval and air force aircraft also conducted four maritime air surveillance as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations, along with 40 maritime patrols.

“These patrols strengthen our monitoring of activities in the West Philippine Sea while ensuring seamless support for operations like maritime domain awareness, medical evacuation, and resupply missions” Padilla said.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines stands resolute in its mandate to uphold territorial integrity, maritime sovereignty, and regional stability while serving and protecting the interests of all Filipinos,” she added.

Tensions in the WPS have continued as Beijing claims nearly the entire South China Sea — a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual shipborne commerce.

China’s expansive claims encompass the areas being claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, The Hague-based international arbitration tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines over China’s claims in the South China Sea, saying that Beijing has “no legal basis.” China has refused to recognize the ruling.