Outgoing AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Andres Centino. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — West Philippine Sea (WPS) czar Gen. Andres Centino on Thursday said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wants more focus on geopolitical issues.
The outgoing Armed Forces of the Philippines chief-of-staff said this is also the reason why Marcos appointed him as the Presidential Adviser on the WPS.
READ: Army chief Brawner is new AFP chief; Centino is named WPS pres’l. adviser
“There was a need to bring focus on the matters in that part of the country,” Centino said in a press briefing at the Defense Press Corps headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Centino noted that there are already mechanisms “as to how these issues should be addressed” like the creation of the National Task Force for the WPS.
However, he pointed out that “our leadership has deemed it important to focus and importance on the way we address the issues there on a bigger scale.”
“That’s why they thought of creating an office of the presidential adviser,” Centino said.
“[W]ith geopolitical issues that have to be addressed more appropriately, there has to be an office of a presidential adviser,” he pointed out.
Centino said the president has yet to give specific instructions on his post since the office has yet to be formally created.
“As to the specific, you know the office has yet to be created so no specifics yet,” he said. “But what is clear is that there should be a more focus on how we handle or address the problems there.”
There were recent reports of incursion of Chinese vessels and presence of suspected Chinese Maritime Militia in several parts of the WPS.
China’s actions are anchored on its assertion that it owns almost all of the areas in the South China Sea, including the WPS though its nine-dash line.
But the Philippines challenged this before the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which later invalidated Beijing’s sweeping claim.
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