PH, Indian navies to hold first WPS joint sail

The Philippine Navy and Indian Navy are set to conduct their first joint maritime cooperative activity in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday.

In a statement, the AFP said "the joint activity will be the first of its kind in the West Philippine Sea—a region increasingly central to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific."

According to the AFP, the joint sail of the Philippine and Indian navies in WPS will be conducted next week.

Indian naval tanker INS Shakti made a port call at Pier 15 in Port Area, Manila on Thursday.

"This is more than a ceremonial gesture. The presence of INS Shakti in Manila sends a powerful signal of solidarity, strength in partnership, and the energy of cooperation between two vibrant democracies in the Indo-Pacific," AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said.

For the AFP, the visit of INS Shakti marks an enhancement of defense diplomacy as India continues to expand its naval engagements in Southeast Asia.

Brawner commended the deepening defense ties between the two countries.

He also reaffirmed the country's shared commitment to maritime security, regional stability, and a rules-based international order in one of the world's most geopolitically sensitive regions, according to the AFP. 

The AFP's announcement comes days ahead of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s state visit to the Republic of India from August 4 to 8.

Last February, Reuters quoted Indian sources as saying that India expects to sell short-range missiles to the Philippines this year in a deal worth more than $200 million.

The Akash missile system, developed by India's defense research body, has drawn interest from the Philippines, which has told New Delhi it would make an order in the fiscal year that begins in April, said three sources.

The deal would follow India's $375-million sale of the mid-range BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines in 2022. The missile system was delivered to the Philippine Marine Corps in April 2024, while the ground system was sent a month earlier.

The purchase comes at a time when Manila is building its military strength as tension escalates with Beijing on overlapping claims in the busy waterway of the South China Sea, where the two have clashed in recent years. — VDV/RSJ, GMA Integrated News