The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has reiterated its commitment to carrying out rotation and resupply missions in the West Philippine Sea, emphasizing self-reliance rather than depending on assistance from other countries.
AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. assured that the military is still capable of managing the situation despite the escalating harassment from China targeting Philippine vessels and aircraft in the West Philippine Sea.
“We’re happy that the United States has given us a lot of options, including that of joining or escorting us for the voyage…But as I said earlier, we are going to do the mission unilaterally. We will depend on ourselves first and we will try to exhaust all the options first before asking help. After we exhaust all the options and nothing works, then that’s the time we can ask for help,” Brawner stated during a press conference following the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board meeting at the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City on Thursday afternoon.
The US Indo-Pacific Command has also reiterated its readiness to escort Philippine ships in the West Philippine Sea.
“It’s a matter of diplomacy, of course consultation, and there’s a range of option available,” stated US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Admiral Samuel John Paparo Jr.
Brawner emphasized that the AFP would seek help only if the situation becomes dire.
“When our troops are already hungry, they don’t have any supplies anymore because our resupply missions have been blocked, and they are on the verge of dying then that’s the time when we will seek the help of the United States but then again, we still have lot of options,” Brawner added.
Regarding the Mutual Defense Treaty, Brawner expressed the need for its expansion due to the evolving nature of military affairs and threats.
However, he stressed that this matter requires a decision from political leaders.
“The treaty was signed in 1951 and from that time until now there have been an evolution of military affairs, even the threats have evolved. We now see different kinds of attacks not just kinetic or the usual military invasion that we saw during the second world war so we believe that the treaty must be dynamic as well but then again we would like to emphasize again this is a political matter that has to be settled by our political leader,” said Brawner.
“Armed attack is not a legal definition necessarily, I think it’s a diplomatic definition and I also think it is a question that — General Brawner and I are men in uniform and we are instruments of policy and not makers of policy,” added Paparo.
During the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board meeting, the AFP and the US Indo-Pacific Command discussed the future activities of the Philippines and the United States.
Brawner and Paparo also visited Basa Air Base in Pampanga, one of the EDCA sites, to observe the progress in enhancing the base’s operational capabilities.
Paparo emphasized that the EDCA sites are intended solely for humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
Meanwhile, the AFP reiterated that the deployment of the Typhon missile system in the Philippines is solely for training purposes.
Brawner noted the importance of training with the missile system, as it is one of the systems the country plans to acquire.
“The objective is for us to train together with our strategic ally on the use of modern weapon systems,” Brawner said.
The presence of the US missile system in the country has raised concerns from China.