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FORMER Armed Forces Chief of Staff Andres Centino is concerned that a Chinese naval warship was “involved” in blocking a Philippine boat that carries supplies to Filipino troops stationed in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
“We have observed that aside from the Coast Guard and China Coast Guard we see PLA Navy ships within the area,” Centino told reporters in a side interview after a maritime forum in the University of the Philippines.
This apparently spurred President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to “recalibrate” the maritime defense policy, by forming the National Maritime Council (NMC), Centino said.
Centino, who was recently named head of the Presidential Office for Maritime Concerns, was designated as the secretariat of the NMC. He will report directly to the President on critical and urgent matters and issues affecting the country’s maritime security and domain awareness.
During the past rotation and resupply missions, Centino explained, only the China Coast Guard and its Chinese militia vessels were the ones actively blocking the Philippine boats. The number of Chinese ships was also “fewer.”
“But now, it has increased in number. The distance from where they start blocking or challenging has been further out, unlike before which was only 3 to 4 miles away from the shore,” he explained.
“The methods of disrupting our resupply have also changed,” he added. “It already caused harm and injury,” referring to the three Filipino soldiers hurt by the one-hour firing of water cannon by two China Coast Guard boats.
According to the Philippine Coast Guard, a PLA ship with bow number 630 approached one of its ships, BRP Sindangan, within a distance of only 0.5 nautical miles.
“We have to also recalibrate our actions,” Centino said. “We now have the National Maritime Council with enhanced powers and functions that will craft a maritime strategy.”
Marcos Jr. signed the Executive Order No. 57 which states that the NMC will replace the National Coast Watch Council as the “central body in charge of formulating policies and strategies” on the Philippines maritime security and domain awareness.
NMC will be headed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, with 12 other Cabinet secretaries as members, including three former military generals and defense chiefs — Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director General Ricardo Fe. De Leon.
Other members of the NCWC are:
- Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo
- Agriculture Secretary Francis Tiu Laurel Jr.
- Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla
- Environment Secretary Ma. Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loygaza
- Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos
- Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla
- Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade
- Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra
Centino said the NMC will meet this week and will formulate comprehensive strategies from military, political, legal and diplomatic moves to manage the conflict with China in the West Philippine Sea.
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