Tolentino urges creation of WPS command

Senator Francis Tolentino on Wednesday urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro to create a West Philippine Sea (WPS) command to implement the newly enacted Philippine Maritime Zones Law.

Senator Francis Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Maritime and Admiralty Zones, made the call amid the presence of Chinese ships in the WPS, most recently the fisheries research vessel Lan Hai 101.

“I’m calling upon the President as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as well as Secretary Gilbert Teodoro to immediately craft guidelines for the creation of the West Philippine Sea Command,” Tolentino said during the Kapihan sa Senado.

In explaining his call, the lawmaker noted that the areas in the WPS are covered by two naval commands.

He said that Palawan and the areas adjoining Panatag Shoal and Ayungin Shoal are under the Western Command of the AFP while Bajo de Masinloc in Zambales is under the Northern Command.

“It is about time for purposes of implementing the Philippine Maritime Zones Law that we create a new command, which is the WPS maritime command, for maritime security because this, for the first time, we referred to the West Philippine Sea in that Philippine Maritime Zones Law, for improved response capabilities for both the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard, and enhanced coordination with those two naval agencies including the PNP maritime command,” Tolentino said.

Tolentino proposed that the WPS command be headed by the admiral of the Philippine Navy.

With the creation of a WPS command, the current task force for the WPS would be abolished, he said.

“Although there is Task Force West Philippine Sea, magandang meron nang [it would be good if there were] permanency… It will now improve our response capabilities,” he said. 

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

The Philippines referred to their claims in the South China Sea as the West Philippine Sea.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis."

China refused to recognize the decision.

With China’s continued assertion, the Philippines has enacted two landmark laws that aim to define the Philippines’ maritime zones as well as the archipelagic sea laws. 

The Philippine Maritime Zones Act and the Philippine Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act are seen to give more teeth to the country’s legal rights over the resource-rich West Philippine Sea. — BM, GMA Integrated News