Following the failure of the policy of appeasement pursued by the past administration, a senior US Embassy official on Tuesday said the Philippine government must now pursue a policy of deterrence to uphold and defend its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
US Embassy Political Counselor Brett Blackshaw made the statement in a forum on Tuesday, entitled “Modernizing Philippine defense capabilities and elevating security partnerships,” organized by the Stratbase ADR Institute.
The forum coincides with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington DC. It also happened on the heels of a near-collision between a Philippine and a Chinese vessel in Ayungin Shoal and the “swarming” of over 100 Chinese vessels in the WPS.
“A lot of our focus within the alliance of maritime cooperation is ensuring that you in the Philippines have a credible deterrent to uphold and defend its sovereign rights. The past shows us appeasement does not work. It is important to show confidence and to develop the capabilities to stand up for lawful rights. And that is why having allies and friends matters so much,” Blackshaw pointed out.
“Deterrence is not about provoking conflict. It’s about defending and that means, specifically EDCA [Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement]. That is an important way that both our forces can increase their interoperability and training and exercise together to enable the Philippines and their alliance in partnership to be able to respond in any kind of crisis and to uphold our obligations under the Mutual Defense treaty,” he explained.
At the White House meeting, President Biden reaffirmed United States’ “ironclad” alliance commitments to the Philippines. He emphasized that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke the US commitments under the Mutual Defense Treaty.
On a policy level, Blackshaw said that Washington is ready to move ahead with its combined maritime activities with the Philippines.
“It [maritime cooperation] means activities together in the West Philippine Sea. I know that often in public the word joint patrol is used. We don’t really use that on the US side. We talk about combined maritime activities, which cover a whole range of doing stuff together in the South China Sea, West Philippine Sea. The value there is it shows the Philippines has partners and friends who support your lawful sovereign rights,” Blackshaw said.
Former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Emmanuel Bautista stressed the need for deterrence at the WPS. It was during his leadership in 2014 that the EDCA was signed.
In his speech, he recalled how the two-month standoff between the Philippines and China at the Panatag Shoal in 2012 led to a realization that the Philippines lacked deterrence in the WPS.
To boost the country’s deterrence, Bautista said the Philippines must boost the capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines particularly its Navy.
“A reality check during the Panatag Shoal incident [in 2012] revealed that we really had no deterrence to deter aggression from other countries and that, in fact, highlighted the need for us to upgrade our capability, certainly, our military capability. That incident in 2012 really was a realization for us so that in 2014, we signed EDCA. It was our strategic move to put us in our better position to navigate those complex situations we were thrown into,” Bautista explained.
“The Philippines is standing on a moral high ground when we won the case in The Hague. We have demonstrated that we are able to stand up for our rights. We hope that we can leverage that capital to achieve multilateral support from other potential allies from Asean and the rest of the international community,” he added.
Stratbase President Victor Andres Manhit also reiterated the need to continuously strengthen the country’s defense cooperation with like-minded partners such as the United States, Japan, and Australia.
“With various elements attempting to tear down the rules-based international order, particularly in the West Philippine Sea, the Marcos administration must continue to engage with like-minded partners such as the United States, Japan, and Australia, among others, to secure Philippine waters and contribute to the security of the region. The current administration must implement a responsive and strategic national security policy that enhances the capacities of our military and protects the livelihood of our fisherfolk,” Manhit said.
Image credits: AP/Aaron Favila
