ARMED Forces chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana yesterday said the military will deploy more ships to contested areas in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea to secure Filipinos fishing in these areas.
Sobejana made the statement during the “Laging Handa” press briefing, weeks after China passed a law authorizing its Coast Guard to open fire at foreign vessels in waters it claims as its territory
Sobejana implied Filipino fishermen should not be covered by the Chinese law because they to going to the disputed areas merely to earn a living. He said the fishermen are not there to wage a war.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday said the new Chinese law may lead to “miscalculations and accidents” and “open conflict.” Nevertheless, he urged Filipino fishermen to continue fishing in these areas. He surmised fishermen are not covered by the Chinese law because they are not armed.
Sobejana said the Armed Forces would “increase visibility through the deployment of more naval assets.”
Sobejana did not say how many additional ships will be sent to the disputed areas.
“But I just want to make clear that our Navy presence there is not wage war against China but to secure our own people,” Sobejana said.
Meanwhile, Sobejana said the military is 60 percent with its modernization program whose implementation, he said, is being “accelerated.”
“We should be at par with our neighbors. We are almost towards 2028 when we envision to become a world-class Armed Forces that is a source of national pride,” he said.
