President: Body to confront challenges to territorial integrity
President Marcos reorganized the central inter-agency body tasked to provide a strategic approach in addressing territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea in a bid to strengthen maritime security and domain awareness.
The President, through Executive Order No. 57, reorganized the National Coast Watch Council into the National Maritime Council.
“Despite efforts to promote stability and security in our maritime domain, the Philippines continues to confront a range of serious challenges that threaten not only the country’s territorial integrity, but also the peaceful existence of Filipinos, including their fundamental right to live in peace and freedom, free from fear of violence and threat,” Mr. Marcos said in EO 57.
The EO was released days after the latest string of dangerous maneuvers and water cannon attack by China against Philippine vessels.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin chairs the National Maritime Council, which will have as members the heads of the following agencies: Department of National Defense, National Security Council, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Foreign Affairs,Department of Finance, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, Office of the Solicitor General, and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.
Mr. Marcos also renamed the NCWC Secretariat as Presidential Office for Maritime Concerns.
The POMC was tasked to “provide consultative, research, administrativeand technical services to the Council.”
The President earlier said the Philippines would not be cowed into silence amid China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea.
“We seek no conflict with any nation, more so nations that purport and claim to be our friends, but we will not be cowed into silence, submission, or subservience,” Mr. Marcos said.
“Filipinos do not yield,” he added.
For her part, Senator Imee Marcos cautioned the administration againstadopting a “war-like footing” against China, which she said was upon the prodding of the United States.
“It seems this administration is too much on war-like footing,” shesaid in a radio interview yesterday.
“Of course, my brother (President Marcos) is already cranky…Theproblem is that we listen too much to the prodding of the Americans,”the senator added. “We should talk to China even if we are already pissed off… Our relationship with China is not good – we have to admit that much.”
The senator, however, downplayed the impact of the so-called“gentleman’s agreement” between China and the Philippines during theDuterte administration.
Marcos, chairperson of the Senate foreign relations committee, said the agreement was “practical.”
Duterte’s former spokesman, Harry Roque, said Manila had a verbal agreement with Beijing not to construct and repair Philippinefacilities in the WPS, including refraining from sending construction materials for BRP Sierra Madre.
Roque, however, clarified that the agreement does not involve thetowing or removal of the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal nor was it binding on President Marcos.
National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya,however, said the agency is not aware of nor does it recognize any”gentleman’s agreement” claimed by Roque.
“We are not aware of any ‘gentleman’s agreement’ between China and thePhilippines referred to by former secretary Harry Roque,” Malaya said.
“The good former secretary should be one to explain to the public hisstatements since such an agreement, if it exists, infringes and violates our sovereignty as a nation,” Malaya added.
For his part, House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan said thePhilippines and China should continue to work to ease heightening tensions.
“Both countries should exhaust all diplomatic avenues to de-escalate the situation,” Libanan said.
“We are very concerned that prospective foreign investors might misperceive and misunderstand the tensions as a looming security risk,” he added.