Tactics

Last Friday, US and Philippine troops conducted joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea as part of Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) between Manila and Washington. They observed two People’s Liberation Army (PLA)-Navy ships on the horizon. They assumed these Chinese Navy vessels were observing or shadowing them as is their routine when US naval vessels are around. Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, said no other “uninvited guests” such as the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) or their maritime militia were around.

Here lies the tactics of the Chinese. When our vessels, be it our Coast Guard, research vessels, or fishermen, the CCG conducts some form of harassment towards them. Be it as simple as being around them to much more aggressive behavior such as using water cannons or even nudging our vessels. But when our navy conducts exercises in the West Philippine Sea with the US Navy, they send naval vessels to monitor, nothing else. In this particular exercise, no untoward incident occurred. The Chinese sent the usual radio challenges, but our vessels responded accordingly.

Why don’t they use the same tactics such as using water cannons or nudging vessels? They make it a point to send their navy, not the CCG when Americans are present. Is it because they cannot intimidate the Americans and can only harass and intimidate us? If that’s the case, then we should have more frequent joint patrols as covered by the MCA. The Chinese PLA Navy will not engage the American naval ships like how their Coast Guard engages our ships when they sail alone. There’s a word for that.

China even had the audacity to warn us that we “shouldn’t be playing with fire” after Defense Sec. Teodoro stated he wanted more military presence in Batanes, the country’s most northern province, which happens to be near Taiwan. Teodoro fired back by saying “Batanes is Philippine territory and China has no business warning the Philippines about what it does within its territory,” China needs to stop thinking we would tremble where we stand whenever they call us out. This is just pure arrogance and wanton disregard for our sovereignty.

This is the reason we have to strengthen our alliances. President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s administration is on the right track regarding foreign policy, specifically with our longest ally the United States. Something the previous administration somewhat veered away from.