THE Armed Forces yesterday said it wants larger and “more advanced” maritime cooperative activities (MCAs) or maritime drills with United States in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea.
AFP spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla made the remarks following the first MCA for this year, held from Friday to Saturday. The weekend MCA is also the fifth since the bilateral activity began in November 2023.
“Moving forward, we plan to elevate these activities by incorporating more advanced training scenarios, expanding participation to include additional assets, and potentially involving other like-minded countries,” said Padilla.
Padilla said elevating future MCAs “will strengthen our collective ability to address evolving security challenges and maintain peace and stability in the region.”
The latest MCA involved the carrier USS Carl Vinson, guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton, guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett, two F-18 Hornet aircraft, an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter, and a V-22 Osprey helicopter on the US side.
The Philippine side used the frigate BRP Antonio Luna, patrol vessel BRP Andres Bonifacio, two FA-50 fighter aircraft, and Air Force search and rescue assets.
Padilla said the AFP is focused on “enhancing our exercises to address the complexities of evolving security challenges.”
“This includes more advanced training scenarios and the involvement of additional assets from both sides. While the exact details are still being finalized, these efforts aim to strengthen our interoperability and readiness,” she said.
Padila said the MCAs are designed to enhance the interoperability of the Philippine and US armed forces.
“As part of our longstanding defense partnership, this activity plays a crucial role in strengthening our cooperation, contributing to regional peace and stability. Our primary focus is to promote a rules-based order in the maritime domain and ensure the peace and security of the region,” she said.
Specifically, Padilla said, the MCAs enhance the ability of the Philippine military to defend the country’s maritime territory and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.
She said the MCAs also strengthen maritime domain awareness and improve communication and coordination capabilities of the country and provide “valuable training opportunities for our personnel.”
“These combined capabilities contribute to a more effective defense posture and enhance our ability to uphold our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea,” she added.
The “monster ship” of the China Coast Guard (CCG) has moved further away from Zambales, said Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesman of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for the West Philippine Sea.
CCG 5901 began moving away at around 3 p.m. on Sunday. As of 9 p.m. Sunday, the vessel some 95 nautical miles from the coast of Zambales, said Tarriela.
The ship has been moving some 60 to 70 nautical miles from Zambales in the past weeks.
Another Chinese vessel, CCG 3304, took the place of the monster ship. Tarriela said the CCG 3304 was some 65 nautical miles from Zambales also as of 9 p.m.
The monster ship was first sighted near Zambales on January 4. It moved farther four days later. It was replaced by another Chinese vessel but later returned to the area.
Tarriela said PCG vessel, BRP Gabriela Silang, continues to monitor the “unlawful presence” of the Chinese off Zambales.
“The PCG has been conducting hourly radio challenges to remind the Chinese crew that their operations within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone breach the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which they are a signatory, and blatantly violate the 2016 arbitral award that nullified their nine-dash line claim,” said Tarriela.
Tarriela said BRP Gabriela Silang “continues to diligently fulfill its patriotic mission of challenging the unlawful presence of the Chinese Coast Guard.”
“The PCG is dedicated to upholding international law and safeguarding the security of our maritime jurisdiction,” he also said.