PH-US-Japan triad distorting WPS security

THE Philippine-US-Japan “triad” is creating “distortions” and “warping” the security situation in the disputed West Philippine Sea (WPS), a Manila-based think tank said on Tuesday.

Herman Tiu Laurel, Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute president, said that the tensions in the disputed territories are “exponentially heightened” as the latest affront to China is the inclusion of its World War II nemesis, Japan, in the joint maritime patrols.

“This is disturbing the previously peaceful conduct of navigation in the region,” said Laurel, a vocal critic of how the Philippine government is handling the South China Sea (SCS) dispute.

He was referring to the recent summit between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in Washington D.C.

Earlier, President Marcos said that the summit would result in a deal regarding the issue in the SCS.

He said this is essentially an agreement between the US, Japan, and the Philippines and their cooperation in terms of maintaining security and freedom of navigation.

According to Laurel, this confirms the longtime belief that the US is “instigating” the SCS dispute “using the Philippines as a proxy asset.”

He cited the case of a Philippine research vessel and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) escort ship conducting a hydrographic survey off Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the WPS.

Laurel said that retired US Air Force colonel Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, “has been monitoring and reporting every nautical mile of the pair’s journey through the disputed sea.”

“This has also caused disinformation by the Western and local mainstream media, claiming that the China Coast Guard (CCG) ‘blocked’ the Philippine ships, which Filipino sources later denied,” he said.

Commo. Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for WPS, has said that since Sunday, CCG 5303 “persistently engaged in provocative actions and illegal monitoring” of the Philippine hydrographic survey mission, which is situated 110.46 nautical miles northwest of Bolinao in Pangasinan.

Tarriela said that while the CCG ship has not directly obstructed or interfered with the survey activities, “this relentless behavior serves as undeniable evidence” that China is “unhesitant” in deploying its vessels within the Philippine exclusive economic zone to “intimidate and impede our legitimate operations, specifically in the field of marine scientific research.”