Category Archives: West Philippine Sea

Año on Philippine buoys in South China Sea: ‘Wala tayong provocation dito’

SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ top security adviser said on Friday, May 26, that there was nothing provocative about the country’s decision to place navigational buoys within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) Describing them as “safety measures,” National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said their placement is based merely on the “international order,” referring to […]

[OPINION] Grayzone tactics: A maritime insurgency in the South China Sea?

SUMMARY Grayzone operations is integral to the Chinese Communist Party’s maritime strategy in the South China Sea; and it continues to defy any political, naval, or legal solution. Former Associate Chief Justice Antonio Carpio’s points at the risk, if this remains unaddressed:  “ At stake is the survival of the legal order enshrined in the […]

Japan, Australia may conduct South China Sea patrols with US, PH – ambassador

SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines is in talks to possibly include Australia and Japan in planned joint South China Sea patrols with the United States, a senior diplomat said on Monday, February 27, in another sign of concern over Beijing’s activities in the strategic waters. “Meetings have already been set and probably we may have the Japanese and […]

Philippines, US discuss joint coast guard patrols in South China Sea

SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines  – The Philippines and the United States are discussing conducting joint coast guard patrols, including in the South China Sea, a Manila official said on Monday, February 20. With overlapping sovereign claims in the strategic waterway, the Philippines has ramped up rhetoric against what it describes as China’s “aggressive activities” in the South China Sea, which has […]

Chinese harassment in South China Sea now a ‘daily situation’ – Manalo

SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines –  At a premier security conference in Munich, Germany, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo drew attention to China’s increasing harassment of Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, describing it as an occurrence that now formed part of the “daily situation” in the volatile waterway. “On a day-to-day basis, there are still […]

Philippine coast guard boosts presence in South China Sea

SUMMARY MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Coast Guard has stepped up its presence in the disputed South China Sea by deploying additional vessels and conducting more sorties and overflights to protect maritime territory and the country’s fishermen, its chief said on Monday, February 6. Beijing’s sweeping claims of sovereignty over the waterway have drawn repeated complaints from […]

[ANALYSIS] Recent developments in the South China Sea: Perspective from the Philippines

SUMMARY This paper was presented by Retired Justice Antonio T. Carpio at the South China Sea Contemporary Issues Workshop organized by St. Anthony’s College of the University of Oxford on November 9, 2022. There are two recent significant developments in the South China Sea maritime dispute.  The first significant development is the enactment by China of […]

[ANALYSIS] Recent developments in the South China Sea: Perspective from the Philippines

SUMMARY This paper was presented by Retired Justice Antonio T. Carpio at the South China Sea Contemporary Issues Workshop organized by St. Anthony’s College of the University of Oxford on November 9, 2022. There are two recent significant developments in the South China Sea maritime dispute.  The first significant development is the enactment by China of […]

‘Philippines should proceed with West Philippine Sea exploration without China’

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines should proceed to explore and develop the oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea, similar to the action of its neighbors who were able to assert their sovereign rights over their waters and completed drilling even without the benefit of an Arbitral Award and defense treaty, former foreign affairs […]

Ambulance chasing threat to seafaring

GLOBAL shipping stakeholders identify ambulance chasing and the Philippines’ mishandling of crew claims as the biggest threats to Philippine seafaring — an industry that remits $6 billion annually into the Philippines. The market share of Filipino crew has shown a steady decline of 50 percent in a short span of 20 years. In 2000, Filipinos […]