By Chloe Mari A. Hufana and Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporters

THE PHILIPPINES and US conducted joint maritime drills in the contested South China Sea on Wednesday to strengthen naval coordination between the two close allies and improve maritime awareness in the waterway that China claims almost entirely.

The Philippine Navy deployed its newest warship, BRP Miguel Malvar, to participate in naval drills within Manila’s exclusive economic zone alongside the US Navy guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur, the Philippine military said in a statement on late Wednesday.

Also participating were Coast Guard vessels BRP Cabra and BRP Suluan, which carried out boarding and search operations to strengthen law enforcement capabilities, it added.

“These maritime engagements demonstrate our commitment to maintaining a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific,” Philippine military chief General Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. said.

Manila and Washington, which are long-time treaty allies, are working together to bolster defense coordination amid increased Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, a key global trade route that is believed to be rich in minerals and oil deposits.

The two nations agreed to hold “maritime cooperative activities” (MCA) in the contested waters to help bolster their forces’ interoperability at sea. The exercise on Wednesday was the fourth for the year and eighth overall since the drills began in 2023.

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea under its so-called nine-dash line, which overlaps with the exclusive economic zones of several countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

Multinational military cooperation has become the new normal in the South China Sea as the Philippines, the US, and other key allies ramp up joint operations to counter China’s growing presence, which Manila and its partners view as destabilizing to regional security.

“The 8^th bilateral MCA reinforces both countries’ shared commitment to upholding international law, freedom of navigation and regional stability,” Mr. Brawner said.

The naval drills saw the Philippine and US navies performing communication drills meant at honing coordination protocols and contact reporting exercises aimed at practicing the identification and reporting of unknown vessels in contested waters.

Sailors also conducted deck operations aboard BRP Miguel Malvar as part of the joint drills, practicing helicopter launch procedures while the warship is at sea.

Meanwhile, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. led the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ mid-year command conference at the Philippine military’s headquarters on Thursday, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO).

The conference served as a platform to discuss key national strategic matters and review the military’s recent achievements, it added.

The Southeast Asian nation adheres to its so-called Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept as it shifts its focus from internal to external defense, a strategic pivot aimed at countering maritime threats and safeguarding its vast territorial waters.

PALACE ORDERS
This also followed President Marcos’ directive for all state agencies to intensify efforts in promoting public understanding of the country’s maritime domain and archipelagic status, as Manila continues to assert its sovereign rights in the South China Sea.

According to Memorandum Circular No. 87, signed on July 11 by Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin, Malacañang ordered agencies to implement education, information dissemination, and public engagement campaigns highlighting the Philippines as a maritime and archipelagic nation.

“To raise and deepen public understanding of the country’s maritime and archipelagic issues and concerns, it is imperative to strengthen public awareness, national consciousness, and intergenerational appreciation of the Philippine national territory and maritime zones,” the memorandum read.

The directive comes as the Philippines on July 12 marked the ninth anniversary of its landmark arbitral victory against China. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that Beijing’s expansive claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis, affirming Manila’s rights within its exclusive economic zone.

The memorandum also urged local government units and the private sector to support the initiative.

The PCO will spearhead the implementation of communication strategies to inform and engage the public, while the National Maritime Council, through the Presidential Office for Maritime Concerns, was tasked to lead year-round programs promoting maritime awareness.

The council is also expected to organize activities for Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month every September.

Josue Raphael J. Cortez, who lectures on diplomacy at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, said the new mandate from the Palace is another strategy for the Philippines to further embed in the social psyche the sovereign rights the country has over the disputed areas and the resources on them.

“It is also a stark way to remind the public of the very reason why there is a need for us to uphold our territorial integrity, no matter how capable and powerful foreign powers are,” he said via Facebook Messenger chat.

He noted the move is an effective way to demonstrate the public’s commitment to the cause, which can also be carried on to the other areas of governance, specifically the private sector and civil society.

“Maximizing the integral role of these sectors in further raising awareness on the vitality of upholding our rights in these domains will certainly generate a positive repercussion towards our quest for territorial integrity by fueling a whole-of-society approach in defending what is rightfully ours, as given by the Arbitral Award of 2016,” Mr. Cortez added.

The move is also a manifestation of the country’s desire to promote a normative type of showing of its might, echoing that it remains a peace-loving country and conflict resolution through diplomacy.

Meanwhile, a senator filed a bill seeking to institutionalize the Philippine Navy’s plan to establish forward operating bases nationwide that would serve as strategic outposts near the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean.

Under Senate Bill No. 340, Senator Joseph Victor “JV” G. Ejercito seeks to provide at least P1 billion in initial funding to the navy in its pursuit to construct bases in provinces like Palawan, Zambales and Surigao del Norte.

“In light of the escalating geopolitical challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, the institutionalization and funding for the Philippine Navy forward operating bases are a fundamental national security imperative,” the senator said in the explanatory note of the bill, shared to reporters on Thursday.