By Glaiza Salanio

Amidst reports of an increase in Chinese electronic communication jamming activities and dangerous actions against the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to continue protecting the country’s sovereignty, signing the National Maritime Council (NMC) under Executive Order (EO) No. 57. 

“We continue to view with great alarm these continuing dangerous maneuvers and dangerous actions that are being done against our seamen, our Coast Guard. And this time, they damaged the cargo ship and caused some injury to some of our seamen,” he said in a press conference in Australia on March 16.

“Once again, we will make our objections known and hope that we can continue to communicate to find a way so that such actions are no longer seen in the West Philippine Sea,” he added.

With the Chinese threats in the WPS, the NMC was aimed to strengthen the country’s maritime security and spread awareness to Filipinos regarding the WPS conflict.

China’s suggestions

On March 12, during his working visit to Berlin, Germany, President Marcos asserted that his administration did not reject the suggestions made by China in managing the WPS disputes that happened recently.

“We have not rejected any proposal that China made to us, but the premise is something we question,” he said, questioning Beijing’s premise of the 10-dash line in asserting ownership of the WPS, which could be considered a violation of the Philippine Constitution and international law.

In an article published by the Manila Times, Beijing also reportedly demanded a pledge from the Marcos administration to not transfer construction supplies to BRP Sierra Madre, while Beijing agreed to let one Philippine ship conduct resupply missions for the World War II ship in return.

WPS disputes

Two days later, President Marcos stated in a press conference that the Philippines did not initiate any of the commotions that happened with China in the WPS, as a response to Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s request to the country to quit deceiving the international community and to stop using the WPS to “instigate disputes.”

“I can’t think of any instance where the Philippines has instigated anything, at any point, both verbally or militarily, or diplomatically,” he mentioned.

“We did not begin all of these problems. All of these commotions were not caused by the Philippines. I do not know what they are referring to,” he continued.

President Marcos also said that the government was “busy running the country and making the best life for Filipinos.”

National Maritime Council

The National Coast Watch System was renamed and reformed as the NMC, serving as the “central body in charge of formulating policies and strategies to ensure a unified, coordinated, and effective governance framework for the country’s maritime security and domain awareness.”

In addition, EO 57 further allows the NMC to “accept donations, contributions, grants, bequests, or gifts from domestic or foreign sources for purposes relevant to their mandates and functions.”

However, Senator Imee Marcos, chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that the creation of the NMC could lead the Philippines down a “dangerous path.”

“Emotion rather than reason has prevailed in our maritime conflict with China and is leading us down a dangerous path that will cost us more than just Filipino pride,” she said.

Sen. Marcos also warned that the country is not yet independent, making it prone to foreign interference in its “urge to retaliate soonest.”

She further stated that taking donations for defense and marine security “welcomes many a Trojan horse of foreign interference” and that this could result in prolonged problems.

Thumbnail from Reuters