THE military yesterday said more multilateral drills with allied countries will be held in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) where China has been conducting coercive activities.
Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesman for the WPS, issued the remarks on the last day of a two-day multilateral maritime cooperative activity (MMCA) among the navies of Australia, Canada, the United States, and the Philippines in the contested area in the South China Sea.
The MMCA was the first among the four countries. Two other MMCAs were held in the area this year — one in April (involving the Philippines, US, Japan and Australia) and the other in June (Philippines, US, Japan and Canada).
“We could expect more MMCAs in the future because that is our thrust. With what countries, I cannot yet say. But definitely, the thrust right now is to bring in the international community of likeminded navies and likeminded nations,” said Trinidad.
Trinidad said the objective of these MMCAs is to bring “stability in the region.”
As to when the future MMCAs will be conducted, Trinidad said details of such operations are not discussed before they are conducted.
On the latest MMCA, which was ongoing as of 4 p.m. yesterday, Trinidad said, “Overall, it’s very successful, highly successful.”
He said the four navies held anti-submarine warfare exercises, boat transfers, flight quarter operations yesterday.
Col. Xerxes Trinidad, chief of the AFP’s Public Affairs Office, said a passing exercise was also held yesterday.
“The MMCA, held in the Western Command area of responsibility in the Philippine’s exclusive economic zone, is aimed at further enhancing interoperability of the AFP with international partners and ally while strengthening regional security and fostering cooperation,” said Col. Trinidad.
Rear Admiral Trinidad said three Chinese warships monitored yesterday’s exercise. They were about four nautical miles from the exercise area.
“Their presence is dubious and inappropriate,” he said.
Asked if the Chinese presence was a cause for concern, he said: “No, not a cause for concern… We are also monitoring them. If they monitor us, we also monitor them.”
Trinidad said the MMCA is not a show of force against China, which he accused of disrupting peace in the West Philippine Sea.
“This is a show of commitment to international law for all countries,” he said.
On China’s negative reaction to the MMCA, Trinidad said, “that’s their own narrative.”
“In the on the first place, they have been the ones who have been doing the illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions. They have been disrupting the peace in the West Philippine Sea and in the entire South China Sea,” he said.
The Chinese military on Wednesday said it conducted drills near Scarborough Shoal, about 124 nautical miles from Zambales. The Philippine military, however, said there was no trace of such exercise in the area.
China gained control of Scarborough Shoal in 2012 after a standoff with Philippine government vessels. Since then, Chinese ships have prevented Filipinos from fishing inside the shoal’s lagoon.
