MANILA – For the tension in the contested West Philippine Sea to no longer escalate, China must taper its aggression, according to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
The Chief Executive made the statement a day after the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) among the Philippines, the United States, Japan, and Australia in the region.
“I sincerely hope so. I really do. I really do. We’re trying everything. We continue to talk at the ministerial level, at the sub-ministerial level, at people-to-people level,” Marcos said.
He added: “Lahat ng maaari nating gawin, ginagawa natin para makausap ang Chinese leadership, ang Beijing, makausap sila na ‘wag na natin masyadong pag-initan pa. Mag-usap tayo nang mabuti para walang banggaan, walang cannon, water cannon.”
The MMCA was joined by the Australian Defense Force (ADF), the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), and the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM).
The naval and air forces of the four countries conducted communication exercises and division tactics.
Activity participants included the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar with an AW109 helicopter, BRP Antonio Luna with an AW159 Wildcat ASW helicopter, and BRP Valentin Diaz from the Philippine Navy.
“My assessment (on the maritime activity) is par for the course. The cruises that we are doing, these are something that have been planned for a long time,” Marcos said.
“The interim reports that I am getting is that very useful talaga in terms of the interoperability so that each navy knows how the other navy operates,” he added./PN
