More joint patrols in West PH Sea ‘feasible’ –AFP 

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday said that holding more joint patrols with allied countries in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the coming days is “feasible.”

AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla made the statement when asked when the next Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) will be conducted following the first one on Sunday.

“Conducting MCCA’s with allied countries in the coming days is feasible, provided that all parties approve them at the ministerial level and in alignment with the International rules-based order and International laws,”  Padilla told reporters.

However, Padilla deferred to the Department of National Defense (DND) to disclose further details.

Navy spokesperson for WPS Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said, “We can expect an increase in navy-to-navy at sea engagements.”

“Naval Cooperation is an operational approach of the Active Archipelagic Defense Strategy, the naval component of CADC. This is the Navy’s contribution to a stable international order in the WPS,” he added.

On Sunday, defense forces of the Philippines, Australia, Japan, and the United States conducted their first MMCA in the WPS in line with their commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation.

The naval and air forces of the four countries conducted communication exercises and division tactics, according to the AFP.

Padilla said the AFP welcomes more like-minded countries to join the MMCA in the future.

US national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Wednesday said more joint patrols can be expected in the South China Sea.

During the joint patrol on Sunday, China’s Ministry of National Defense said its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command organized a joint naval and air strategic patrol in the South China Sea 

“All military activities disrupting the South China Sea situation and creating buzzes are under control,” it added.

According to the AFP, two Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships were seen during the joint patrol. They were located six nautical miles away near Busuanga, Palawan.

Meanwhile, Padilla said a total of 48 Chinese maritime militia vessels and Chinese Coast Guard ships were in Bajo de Masinloc, Ayungin Shoal, Pagasa Island, and Panata Shoal on Wednesday morning.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its territorial claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

Parts of the waters within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) have been renamed as West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague said China’s claims had no legal basis, a decision that Beijing has rejected.—LDF, GMA Integrated News