Take ‘decisive’ actions in WPS, fishers’ urge next defense chief

Members of Pamalakaya staged a seaside protest in Zambales on June 12, 2021, against Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea. (File photo from the Twitter account of Pamalakaya)

MANILA, Philippines — A fishers’ group challenged on Tuesday the incoming defense chief, Gen. Jose Faustino Jr., to take “decisive and effective” actions in defending the West Philippine Sea from incursions by Chinese forces.

The group — Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) — made the remark in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“The incoming defense chief should take the cudgels in defense of our territorial waters against foreign aggressors, instead of focusing on an all-out war against democratic dissents under the guise of counter-insurgency efforts,” Bobby Roldan, the vice chair of Pamalakaya, said.

According to Roldan, the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte had the problem of being “too fixated on waging all-out war against democratic activists and civilian communities yet impotent to the actual threat against our territory.”

“Gen. Faustino could opt to continue the failing anti-insurgency war and earn the wrath of the people, or he could be efficient and maximize his control over the military to wrest back control of our territorial seas,” he added.

Roldan clarified, however, that the group was not asking for war, It was seeking security from the government, which not only has the military logistics but is mandated by the Constitution to protect Philippine sovereignty.

“We expect that the new defense chief will not be as [cowardly] as his predecessor who has been defeatist in the face of the intensified Chinese aggression in our waters,” Roldan said.

The Philippines and China have been engaged in a long-running dispute over the South China Sea, which China claims in its entirety. But parts of it include portions of the West Philippine Sea.

In 2013, the Philippines challenged China’s claim in the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague. In 2016, the PCA ruled in favor of the Philippines.

But China has consistently refused to recognize the ruling,  continuing to venture into the Philippine waters.

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