For gov’t: One threat at a time
MANILA, Philippines—The recent ambush of Marines and policemen that resulted in heavy casualties on the side of the security forces will “distract” the government from the Chinese incursions in the West Philippine Sea, a security analyst said Tuesday.
Jose Antonio Custodio, a security and defense consultant for the private and government sectors, told the Inquirer on Tuesday that there were two schools of thought within the government and the military when it came to security concerns—either to focus on the internal security problem or territorial defense.
But for professor Charithie Joaquin of the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), it is not so much the issue of the government being “distracted” but of the “government having really limited resources to respond to internal and external threats.”
Joaquin theorized that the communist insurgents and the Abu Sayyaf may have gone on the offensive thinking that the military had its hands full with the issues with Taiwan and China.
Retired Army Gen. Resty Aguilar, former senior military adviser of the government peace panel on the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said that while the government addressed both internal and external security concerns, “our main focus has been the ISO (internal security operations).”
“If the question is, could we be distracted, I’d say yes because our focus now would be the ISO,” he said.
Custodio pointed to the heightened activity of China at Ayungin Shoal, a territory in the disputed Kalayaan island group claimed by the Philippines. The Philippine government has primarily passed the buck to the Department of Foreign Affairs with the country’s obvious lack of military might, Custodio said.
But now with seven Marines and nine Philippine National Police members dead in the hands of the enemies, Custodio warned of the possibility that the problem over the Chinese incursion would be relegated to the sidelines again.
Sought for comment, AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan told the Inquirer that the current military strategy, the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) Bayanihan, addressed both the internal and external security problems.
“It is not really choosing one over the other. Nothing is placed in the back seat. We give equal emphasis to both our internal and external security concerns,” he said.
The Philippines has the longest-running communist insurgency problem in the world and has dealt with a secessionist problem in Mindanao for decades.
“To strengthen our military force, it is vital to strengthen security alliances and partnerships, upgrade military capabilities, and expand and utilize the reserve force,” Custodio said.
