Philippine Coast Guard Trains With US, Japan Using Japanese Patrol Ship

The Philippine coast guard has begun training with counterparts from Japan and the United States using a Japan-made patrol vessel amid China’s increased assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea.

The training started early the week of Oct. 24, but it was not open to the media until Oct. 28. About 100 Philippine personnel and several U.S. and Japanese personnel participated in the training that will run through Nov. 5.

Philippine personnel will practice towing a disabled ship in Manila Bay using a 97-meter-long (318-foot-long) patrol vessel supplied by Japan during the two-week training, Japanese news agency The Mainichi reported.

“Towing, for instance, is not an operation that we conduct regularly… so in bringing in the Japanese coast guard and the U.S. Coast Guard, we are able to share our different ideas, share our different ways of doing things,” Lt. Bryce Matakas of the U.S. Coast Guard told The Mainichi on Friday.

The drill also dealt with arrests, small boat operations, damage control onboard the ship, and firefighting, as the Philippine coast guard aims to boost capabilities to protect its territories in the South China Sea.

The joint drill followed Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s remarks on Oct. 19 in which he pledged to modernize the Philippine coast guard, citing its key role in safeguarding the nation’s maritime territory.

“As you fulfill your duty, know very well that you will never sail as a lone body in these unsettling waters,” Marcos said during the coast guard’s 21st anniversary, according to local reports.

“As your leader, I assure you that this administration will always be behind you, supportive of your efforts and initiatives to modernize the [Philippine coast guard] which will redound to better delivery of service to the nation,” he added.

China has increased its influence in the South China Sea through its artificial islands and military buildup. It claims the majority of the South China Sea under its so-called “nine-dash line,” despite competing claims from other nations.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines in 2016. But the verdict has had little impact on China’s behavior, with Beijing continuing to pursue its claims to vast swathes of the sea.

Marcos had previously vowed to uphold The Hague’s 2016 ruling in the South China Sea dispute, saying that he will not allow China to encroach on “a single square millimeter of our maritime coastal.”

The Philippines have filed over 48 protests against China’s sea incursions under the Marcos administration. His predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, filed 388 protests during his six-year term as president.

Philippine Defense Undersecretary Angelito de Leon said on Sept. 8 that Chinese vessels continue to swarm Philippine waters despite the protests, prompting the coast guard to bolster maritime domain awareness and patrols.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in July that Washington was obligated to defend the Philippines if its forces, vessels, or aircraft came under attack in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.