THE United States, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines yesterday held maritime exercises in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea amid tension in the contested area.
The exercises were held under a multilateral maritime cooperative activity (MMCA), the sixth to be conducted since April last year and first for this year.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr said the one-day activity, held within the country’s 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, was a demonstration of a “collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Naval and air force assets of the four countries held the exercises “to enhance cooperation and interoperability among the armed forces,” the military said adding the exercises were “consistent with the international law and with due regard for the safety of navigation, and the rights and interests of other states.”
“This underscores our shared commitments to upholding the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,” said Brawner.
AFP public affairs chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said four Navy ships took part in the exercises — one each from the four countries. Trinidad was on board one of the participant ships.
Trinidad said they monitored Chinese vessels during the exercise. He did not say how many.
Asked if the Chinese interfered, he said, “So far, everything is very smooth when it comes to our maneuvers and exercises.”
The MMCA was held a day after US bomber planes and Philippine FA-50 aircraft conducted joint patrols, intercept training and photo exercises in the West Philippine Sea, including at the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal.
China continues to be aggressive in its claims in the West Philippine Sea. President Marcos Jr has said Philippines will not surrender even a square inch of its territory to a foreign power.
Chinese vessels have harassed Philippine government vessels and aircraft and even civilian fishing boats, the last was on January 25 when a Chinese Coast Guard vessel used a long-range acoustic device or sound cannon against a Philippine Coast Guard vessel conducting patrols off Zambales.
SOFVA
In an ambush interview on Tuesday night, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr said a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) with New Zealand will be signed “hopefully” within the first semester of this year.
He said the SOVFA is an important part of the Philippines-New Zealand alliance “to resist China’s unilateral narrative to change international laws.”
Teodoro said the SOVFA with New Zealand is also important in the field of humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
Defense officials from both countries began formal negotiations for a SOVFA on January 23. The SOVFA will pave the way for the conduct of military exercises between the two countries.
Teodoro reiterated the defense department is negotiating similar agreements with Canada and France.
Philippines has signed similar agreements with the US (Visiting Forces Agreement signed in 1998), Australia (SOVFA signed in 2007), and Japan (Reciprocal Access Agreement signed in July last year).
The RAA with Japan was ratified by the Senate last December. However, the agreement will have to be approved by the Japanese government’s National Diet to render it valid and binding.