Lorenzana says situation in West Philippine Sea ‘stable,’ ‘manageable’

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday said the situation in the West Philippine Sea is "stable and manageable," adding that the military could focus on addressing internal threats such as terrorism and insurgency.

During a Senate hearing on the proposed budget of the Department of National Defense (DND), Senator Risa Hontiveros asked Lorenzana about the threats being encountered by the country.

"We have analyzed the threats in the country. The greatest threat we see at the moment are the communist insurgency, still going on all over the country. Number two is the terrorist threat, hindi pa rin natin naaano 'yan, na-address," Lorenzana said.

"The external threat is being managed by our foreign affairs, the situation in the West Philippine Sea is stable at the moment and manageable. As far as we are concerned, we can focus more our attention on the internal threats which is to contain the communist insurgency and the terrorists," he added.

Hontiveros said she is hoping that the DND is prioritizing the external threats, especially the tension in the West Philippine Sea.

"I would have hoped na mas pinaka-priority pa rin ng DND ang external threats. Lalo na sa diwa ng pagkaintindi ko sa primary mission particular ng Armed Forces natin na oriented nga po sa external threats. Bagama't alam ko na the AFP plays an important supportive role to the national police lalo na sa mga internal threats," Hontiveros said.

"I would have hoped na 'yun 'yung number one priority. Bagamat naaappreciate ko 'yung maya't mayang statements ni Sec. Lorenzana, reflecting this primary concern..." she added.

China claims a huge portion of the South China Sea as part of its territory. However, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated this claim on July 12, 2016.

Beijing has been refusing to recognize the ruling as it still continues to conduct activities in the area. The Philippines refers to parts of the South China Sea as West Philippine Sea.

Meanwhile, Lorenzana admitted that the "biggest weakness" in the military capability is the lack of assets and equipment. He, however, said the DND continues to increase military assets.

"We lack of course ships, aircraft, although we have an incoming 16 Sikorsky or Black Hawk helicopters which will start arriving some time towards the end of this year," Lorenzana said.

"We are slowly increasing our capabilities and also our capability to defend ourselves from cyberattack from other countries," he added. — RSJ, GMA News