Marcos vows Coast Guard upgrade; PHL, Japan envoys tackle better ties

By John Victor D. Ordoñez,  Reporter

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday vowed to upgrade the assets of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) amid growing tensions with China.

In speech at the 123^rd founding anniversary of the coast guard at the Port of Manila, he said his government would continue to improve coast guard fleet and assets to boost maritime domain awareness.

He also cited the needed infrastructure development for the PCG. “This will boost your capacity to respond to any operation.”

Mr. Marcos said the PCG shift to a civilian agency in 1998 from a coastal defense force created by Americans “marked a significant change in how we approach maritime security and environmental protection.”

The coast guard is now positioned to engage in broader collaboration with other nations, “opening doors to cutting-edge technologies and critical resources that now strengthen your ability to serve with greater competency,” he added.

The PCG was under the Department of National Defense before it was transferred to the Office of the President on March 30, 1998 through an order issued by the late President Fidel V. Ramos.

Less than a month later, Mr. Ramos transferred the PCG to the Department of Transportation and Communications, which was split into two separate agencies in 2016 through a law signed by the late President Benigno S.C. Aquino III.

The PCG has borne the brunt of Chinese intrusions  into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

The coast guard launched a transparency campaign last year to expose China’s attacks on its assets, a strategy that has helped Manila gain more support from the international community.

“In the face of tension, it is your calm resolve that prevents disputes from turning into conflicts, demonstrating to the world that embracing dialogue and cooperation is the true essence of strength,” Mr. Marcos said.

The Philippine Coast Guard earlier said it expects delivery of 10 ships from Japan and France amid Beijing’s continued efforts to block resupply missions at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.

CALL WITH TOKYO FM
Meanwhile, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo and newly appointed Japanese Foreign Minister (FM) Takeshi Iwaya on Tuesday spoke on the phone to discuss boosting cooperation to ensure a rules-based international order in the region amid sea tensions with China, according to Japan’s embassy in the Philippines.

“While conveying his gratitude, stated that he would like to steadily promote Japan-Philippines cooperation as well as multilateral cooperation including Japan-US-Philippines cooperation to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law,” it said in a statement.

The envoys discussed regional and international issues during the call and vowed to work together in easing tensions in the East and South China Sea, where both Japan and the Philippines have disputes with China.

Manila and Tokyo in July signed a reciprocal access agreement to ease the entry of equipment and troops for combat training from Japan.

The Philippines and Japan should look for more partnerships in technology transfer, sharing joint production and targeted joint patrols in key parts of the South China Sea, Don McLain Gil, who teaches international relations at the De La Salle University, said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

“These patrols should not just be routine but should be more functional,” he said. “We can achieve that with Japan, particularly with the reciprocal access agreement expediting the process for military-to-military relations.”

Senate President Francis “Chiz” G. Escudero earlier told foreign journalists they plan to ratify the military pact before the year ends.

The Philippines has a visiting forces agreement with the US and Australia. Tokyo, which hosts the biggest concentration of US forces abroad, has a similar deal with Australia and Britain, and is negotiating another with France.

China and the Philippines have been at loggerheads over confrontations near disputed features in the South China, with Manila accusing China’s coast guard of aggression and Beijing furious over what it calls repeated provocations and territorial incursions.

The United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016 voided China’s claim over the waterway for being illegal. Beijing has ignored the ruling.

About $3 trillion worth of trade passes through the South China Sea annually, and it is believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits, apart from fish stocks.

Mr. Marcos said in his third address to Congress his government would continue to find ways to de-escalate tensions in contested areas in the waterway “without compromising our position and our principles.

He urged Southeast Asian leaders and China at a regional summit in Laos this month to speed up talks on a code of conduct for the South China Sea.

“The two ministers confirmed that they will further deepen cooperation in various areas, toward the 70^th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Philippines in 2026,” the Japanese Embassy said. — with K.A.T. Atienza