US reiterates ‘ironclad’ commitment to PH
US SECRETARY of State Marco Rubio raised concerns about China’s aggressive activities in the South China Sea during his talks with his Philippine counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, and underscored Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to Manila under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, the State Department said yesterday.
Another official under the new Trump administration, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, met with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr Thursday and reaffirmed the “enduring alliance” between the two nations.
Rubio’s call came after he hosted counterparts from Australia, India and Japan in the China-focused “Quad” forum on Tuesday, the day after President Donald Trump returned to the White House. The four recommitted to working together.
Quad members and the Philippines share concerns about China’s growing power and analysts said Tuesday’s meeting was designed to signal continuity in the Indo-Pacific and that countering Beijing would be a top priority for Trump.
China’s foreign ministry said its activities in the waters were “reasonable, lawful and beyond reproach.”
Speaking at a regular press conference, ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the United States is “not a party” to the South China Sea dispute, and had “no right to intervene” in maritime issues between China and the Philippines.
“Military cooperation between the US and the Philippines should not undermine China’s sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea, nor should it be used to endorse the illegal claims of the Philippines,” Mao said.
The US State Department said Rubio spoke with Manalo “about issues of mutual concern, including the People’s Republic of China’s dangerous and destabilizing actions in the South China Sea.”
“Secretary Rubio conveyed that the PRC’s behavior undermines regional peace and stability and is inconsistent with international law,” it added.
Rubio is considered a “hawk” for his hardline stance against Beijing.
During his confirmation hearing earlier this week, Rubio called China the “most potent, dangerous and near-peer adversary” that the US has ever confronted.
In his conversation with Manalo, Rubio reaffirmed Washington’s strong commitment to Manila under the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) which commits both countries to come to each other’s aid in case of an armed attack or invasion.
“The Secretary underscored the ironclad commitments to the Philippines under the Mutual Defense Treaty,” the State Department said, adding the two also exchanged views on how to further advance security cooperation, expand economic ties, and deepen avenues for regional cooperation.
The Philippines has been wrangling with China over the South China Sea and their vessels, more particularly in the past two years. Chinese coast guard vessels have fired water cannons and harassed Philippine Coast Guard and small fishing vessels patrolling and plying their trade in the area, which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.
Recently, China also sent its largest coast guard vessel dubbed the “monster ship” inside the Philippine exclusive economic zone, less than a hundred kilometers off the coast of Zambales.
Manila has deployed its own vessels to shadow and challenge the Chinese ship.
Just ahead of Trump’s swearing-in, the Philippines and the United States carried out their fifth set of joint maritime exercises in the South China Sea since launching the joint activities in 2023.
Security engagements between the allies have soared under President Marcos Jr. who has pivoted closer to Washington and allowed the expansion of military bases that American forces can access, including facilities facing the Chinese-claimed but democratically-governed island of Taiwan.
Visiting the Philippines last week, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said a trilateral initiative to boost cooperation launched by Japan, the US and the Philippines at a summit last year would be strengthened when the new US administration took over in Washington.
`ENDURING ALLIANCE’
The Department of National Defense (DND) said the meeting between Teodoro and Waltz reaffirmed the “enduring alliance” between the two nations.
DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said the meeting “marked a significant step in further advancing the decades-long alliance between the Philippines and the United States, signaling a renewed commitment to collaboration under the Trump administration.”
“Both sides expressed optimism about deepening defense and security cooperation in the years ahead,” he added.
Andolong said Philippines, represented by Teodoro, was among the first countries to engage the new US administration “to discuss critical security matters.”
Teodoro was accompanied by Ambassador to US Jose Manuel Romualdez during the meeting.
Andolong said Teodoro met with Waltz under the instructions of President Marcos Jr and in coordination with National Security Adviser Eduardo Año.
He said Teodoro extended the Philippines’ congratulations to the US “on a successful transition of leadership, emphasizing the shared commitment to peace, stability, and mutual security interest in the region.”
“He (Teodoro) highlighted the importance of strengthening bilateral defense ties in addressing emerging geopolitical challenges,” Andolong also said.
Andolong said Waltz expressed his appreciation of President Marcos’ efforts “to uphold freedom of navigation and a rules-based international order.”
“NSA Waltz and his team underscored the need to enhance cooperation with the Philippines and looked forward to increasing mutual security activities in support of a free and global Indo-Pacific, an initiative dating back to Trump’s first presidency,” he said.
Andolong said Teodoro also met with Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Alex Wong, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Andrew Byers, and National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Ivan Kanapathy.
The US has been actively supporting Philippine interests in the West Philippine Sea in the South China over the past years. In July last year, US officials announced a $500-million security assistance to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
ILLEGAL PRESENCE
The PCG deployed on Wednesday one of its ships near Zambales where China’s monster ship has been illegally patrolling.
The PCG vessel, BRP Cabra, replaced BRP Suluan which was sent to the area last Tuesday to conduct legitimate patrols some 65 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales.
PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said BRP Cabra continues to challenge the “illegal presence” of Chinese Coast Guard vessel 3104 in the area.
Tarriela said BRP Suluan made its way back to Subic, Zambales.
“Currently, BRP Cabra is engaged in hourly radio communications with CCG-3103 to remind them of their violations of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” he said.
He said the presence of the PCG vessel “is intended to prevent the illegally operating CCG from getting closer to the Zambales coastline.”
2ND CASE
The Philippines will soon decide on an international platform to sue China for alleged damage to the marine environment, Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said,
The Philippines won a landmark case at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 that found China’s sweeping claim of sovereignty in the South China Sea had no basis under international law. It now wants to hold Beijing accountable for what it says is its harvesting of giant clams and substantial environmental damage to coral reefs in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
“We’re in discussion and the decision has to come very soon,” Remulla said referring to which legal forum to file the case.
“The sins are really so obvious,” he said. “In the end, this is the best way to attack. There are many ways of solving a problem, but this is one of the most novel ways.”
China was incensed by the 2016 arbitration case and has refused to recognize it, doubling down on its efforts to assert its sovereignty claim with an armada of coast guard and fishing militia, hundreds of kilometers off its mainland.
Beijing, which has built manmade islands on top of reefs, some with missile systems and runways, has denied harming marine ecosystems in the region and has accused the Philippines of the same. Manila rejects that.
A 2023 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found China’s construction activity buried more than 4,600 acres (1,861 hectares) of reef.
Remulla said the case build-up is backed by “a lot of evidence” from the PCG and other agencies on the frontlines of the South China Sea.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Court of Justice are among several possible venues Philippine officials have identified in exploring options for the second case.
Remulla stressed the urgency of the case and said the government was hoping to file it this year, underscoring the need to firm up its legal strategy.
“This is a civil case. We look for damages. We want to be awarded damages for that,” he said. “This is all due yesterday.”
The Philippines alleges Chinese activities, including dredging, coral harvesting, and the construction of artificial islands, have caused significant and irreversible damage to coral reefs and marine biodiversity. China has accused the Philippines of causing damage to the Second Thomas Shoal by intentionally grounding a warship there in 1999. – With Reuters
