US: Attack on PCG ship may trigger MDT

MANILA, Philippines — The United States, through a telephone call of its defense chief to his Filipino counterpart, has reaffirmed its commitment to come to the defense of the Philippines under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) in the event of a foreign attack.

The call from US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III to Department of Defense (DND) officer-in-charge Carlito Galvez Jr. took place last Wednesday, or a day after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed the presence of at least 30 Chinese vessels around Ayungin and Sabina shoals in the West Philippine Sea.

“Secretary Austin reiterated that the US’ commitment to the alliance remains ironclad, and that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, aircraft, and public vessels, including the Coast Guard, anywhere in the South China Sea would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the Mutual Defense Treaty,” Galvez said.

He added that the country’s military will “steadfastly uphold its mandate of protecting the country’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and sovereign rights.”

The DND, in a statement, said both Galvez and Austin agreed to expand cooperation with other “like-minded” countries in the region.

“(The two) emphasized the importance of keeping the Philippines-US alliance strong in order to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” it said.

The same commitment was relayed by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Gilday to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Andres Centino also on Wednesday during a meeting at Camp Aguinaldo.

Gilday revealed discussions are underway regarding the conduct of joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea, and that such patrols would be carried out at a pace dictated by the Philippine government.

“I wouldn’t put a timeline on it yet. I think first and foremost the security sector agreement that is being worked on together right now between our militaries and between our governments is going to have much more specifics I think in terms of an informed plan and how we intend to carry that out,” Gilday told reporters in an interview.

“And I think as we close on the defense ministerial this spring, I think that more details will be released,” he added.

Planning stage

The ranking US Navy official said Austin, Galvez and President Marcos “have talked about those combined maritime activities and right now we are at the beginning of those planning stages.”

“But I would just tell you if I had to characterize it in two words, it would be committed and focused. Those are the two real descriptors that I wanted to leave in a very serious way with both General Centino and the Chief of Navy today,” he stressed.

Gilday said the main purpose of his visit to the Philippines was to “demonstrate the seriousness of that commitment moving forward.”

“But we do have some work to do from a planning standpoint so that it’s very thoughtfully orchestrated when we do execute,” he said.

“I really think we have to move in the pace of the Filipino government. They have the lead and we absolutely respect that and I think that we are taking prudent, informed, deliberate measures right now with respect to planning so that when the exercise is announced as we close in this defense ministerial, I think in due time you will see all of that focus,” he said.

Asked about his meeting with Centino, Gilday said he and the AFP chief did not discuss any specifics.

“With respect to the ongoing discussions with the government of the Philippines, we just say that we are proceeding at their pace and so in due time the government of the Philippines will provide more details publicly about those EDCA sites, more specifics, and at that time I think it would be ready to proceed very rapidly together in ways that serve our collective security interests in a positive way,” he said, referring to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

Gilday confirmed that this year’s Balikatan exercises between the Philippines and the US scheduled to begin in April would definitely be bigger.

“We’re not announcing yet specifically what units are involved in the exercise but I will say this, there is an increased investment from not only the United States but from the Filipinos who are leading that exercise. And also the Australians who are also committed and involved as well,” he said.

“You’re going to see an increase with respect to the numbers. I think you’re going to see an increase with respect to the joint mix of capabilities that we bring together this time in Balikatan and I think it would provide a very powerful optic of assurance to allies and partners across the region that we’re coming together with the Filipinos and the Australians in a very powerful pronounced way,” Gilday said.

PCG expanding presence

After confirming through aerial reconnaissance the presence of 30 Chinese militia vessels in Ayungin and Sabina shoals, the PCG said it would expand its presence in the West Philippine including by launching more air patrols.

“We are intensifying our presence there. This is a follow-up to our maritime patrol the other day – the MDA flight that we launched to confirm the presence of the Chinese Coast Guard,” PCG adviser for maritime security Commodore Jay Tarriela said.

He said the Chinese obviously do not respect Philippine sovereignty as Beijing continues to ignore the diplomatic protests filed by Manila over incidents of incursions and harassment by Chinese coast guards and militia vessels.

At a public forum, Tarriela said PCG’s recent air patrol or maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight over areas within the Philippine exclusive economic zone is part of efforts to intensify its presence in the West Philippine Sea.

On Tuesday, an MDA flight spotted at least 26 Chinese maritime militia vessels anchored on Sabina Shoal and four others on Ayungin Shoal, along with the CCG vessel 5304.

The MDA was conducted a few weeks after an incident wherein the Chinese coast guard beamed a military-grade laser light on BRP Malapascua, which was assisting in the delivery of provisions to troops stationed on the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal last Feb. 6. The Department of Foreign Affairs protested the Chinese action, which briefly blinded some Malapascua crew members.

“That’s why the Philippine Coast Guard always documents the Chinese presence and makes sure we have photos to follow up on the diplomatic protest that we did last week,” Tarriela said. He said that by regularly recording and documenting the Chinese incursions and harassment, the PCG hopes to heighten public awareness as well as attract more international attention.

“Another way that we are doing in ensuring our assertiveness in the WPS is to document their aggressive actions and their presence not just for the filing of diplomatic protests, but also to expose it to the Filipino people so that they are aware of what is happening in the WPS,” he told The STAR.

“Every time this is made public, on so many occasions, we have proven that if this matter reaches international attention and the people are aware of the actions of the China Coast Guard, at some point nag-iiba ang response nila,” he added, meaning their response changes.

He also said the PCG is also eyeing changes in its “rules on the use of force” or RUF so it could deal more appropriately with Chinese provocations. He stressed the use of laser is out of the question for the PCG.

“It’s not PCG’s plan to use laser technology as part of our weaponry. What we’re saying is for us to revise our rules on the use of force because it’s not indicated in the rules how the PCG would respond to this kind of threat,” he explained. He added they are contemplating the use of protective equipment or devices to shield PCG crew from such attack.

Three PCG officers, meanwhile, have been sent to Australia to participate in the inaugural Civil Maritime Security Program organized by the Australian Border Force.

Philippine Ambassador Ma. Hellen dela Vega welcomed Cmdr. Jonah Arugay, Lt. Cmdr. Valerie Lagua and Lt. Maritoni Saliendra at the embassy.

The three PCG Officers will be joining nine other participants from Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam in the six-week program which will include practical exercises on operational command, boarding, search and seizures as well as training on law of the sea and international maritime law.

The embassy said the Philippines and Australia, as maritime nations in the Pacific, share a long history of partnership in defense and security and have continued to enhance maritime cooperation over the years through mutual exchange, education and training.

“Both countries are committed to uphold the rules-based order anchored on international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, for regional peace, security and stability,” the embassy said. – Michael Punongbayan, Robertzon Ramirez, Pia Lee-Brago