PH needs to brace for external threats – Marcos
The BRP Sierra Madre, a Navy warship that now serves as military outpost, keeps watch over Ayungin (Second Thomas), located within the country’s exclusive economic zone. Nearby are Chinese coast guard and militia vessels in this shot taken on February 21, 2023, during an aerial surveillance by the Philippine Coast Guard. (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Niño Jesus Orbeta)
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines needs to prepare for “external threats” due to heightened geopolitical tension in the Indo-Pacific, from the country’s proximity to Taiwan to its dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. stressed.
Marcos made the remark when he met with members of the Philippine Army’s 5th Infantry Division (ID) at Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela on Monday, the Presidential Communications Office said in a statement on Tuesday.
According to Marcos, the Philippines’ proximity to Taiwan automatically puts it in China’s “area of interest,” which makes it important that the northern part of the Philippines is “well-prepared for any eventuality.”
“And that is why — the external threat now has become more pronounced, has become more worrisome. And that is why we have to prepare,” Marcos told members of the 5th ID.
“So, that is the mission that you have before you. Now, you have two missions, whereas before it was only internal security,” he added.
Marcos clarified that although the Philippines has no intention of encroaching on or claiming anyone else’s territory, its leadership must be fully committed to defending its own — all while upholding peace in the region through diplomatic efforts.
“We are not trying to take territory. We are not trying to redraw the lines of sovereign territory, the EEZ (exclusive economic zone), the baseline,” he said.
“Hindi natin binabago anything na kahit isang — not even one inch. Ngunit hindi tayo puwedeng pumayag na kukunin naman ‘yan sa atin,” he added.
(We’re not trying to change anything — not even one inch. But we cannot agree to have that taken from us.)
This, he said, is part of the reason why the government designated an area in Cagayan as an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) site.
The Philippines has been embroiled in a territorial dispute with China, after the latter claimed majority of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, through its so-called nine-dash line.
Such a claim, however, has been effectively invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal ruling that stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013.
Despite this, China continues to insist on its claims, continuing its aggression and militarization even in areas of the Philippines’ territory in the West Philippine Sea.
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