Marcos again raising sea row in next foreign trips

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. —PPA POOL

Expect the country’s maritime dispute with China — and recent incidents in the West Philippine Sea that continue to raise tensions between Manila and Beijing — to again figure highly in President Marcos’ next foreign trips.

The President will fly to Germany and the Czech Republic next week to promote trade and investment opportunities in the Philippines and also widen the overseas audience on the West Philippine Sea issue.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), China’s incursions into Philippine waters are an issue of “concern” also for the two neighboring European countries.

‘Like-minded’

The President and first lady Liza Araneta Marcos will be in Berlin on a working visit from March 12 to March 13, upon the invitation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

They will then proceed to Prague, this time on a state visit from March 14 to March 15, upon Czech President Petr Pavel’s invitation.

Maria Elena Algabre, foreign assistant secretary for European affairs, said the West Philippine Sea will be part of Mr. Marcos’ agenda because Germany and the Czech Republic are “like-minded” nations that share “values for democracy, human rights and the rule of law, including the promotion of an open, inclusive, international rules-based order.”

“If some of you may have noticed, in the recent incident in the West Philippine Sea, the German ambassador and the Czech ambassador issued a statement of support for the Philippines and their concern [over] what’s happening in the area,” she said at a press briefing on Friday.

READ: Marcos: PH will push back vs China if maritime interests ignored

Algabre was referring to a collision on March 5 at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal that damaged a Philippine Coast Guard ship, following “dangerous maneuvers” by the Chinese Coast Guard which also used its water cannon to block a Philippine supply boat.

The German Embassy in Manila said on its Facebook page: “Germany calls on all parties to resolve disputes peacefully based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and reiterates the call to respect the legally binding 2016 arbitral award.

Defense cooperation

The embassy was referring to Manila’s arbitral victory over Beijing after the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that year against China’s sweeping maritime claim that encroached on the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Czech Ambassador to Manila Karel Hejč, in a statement on X, also criticized the Chinese Coast Guard over Tuesday’s incident.

Algabre said “the President will have an exchange on how [Germany and the Czech Republic] could work together [with the Philippines] in maintaining an international rules-based order.”

She also said Manila would explore the possibility of expanding its defense cooperation agreement with Berlin.

The agreement was signed in 1974, the DFA official recalled, “but it focused initially on training our Armed Forces. So now we would like to convey our interest in expanding this cooperation.”

“With the Czech Republic, we are also exploring, discussing with them how we can also expand cooperation in areas including defense,” she added.

Mr. Marcos also tackled the country’s maritime dispute with China during his state visit to Australia in February and during his return visit this week to attend the special summit between Australia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

READ: Strategic gaslighting: Marcos’ China challenge

Seafarer, labor accords

The next two trips will also have the President promoting trade and investment opportunities in the Philippines and inviting German and Czech companies “to increase their presence in the country,” Algabre said.

These companies include those in renewable energy, manufacturing, health care, aerospace, and innovation, she added.

They are being encouraged to “take advantage of the Philippines’ continuing impressive economic performance and conducive economic investment environment,” Algabre said.

One of the documents expected to be signed is a “joint declaration of intent” between the transportation agencies of Manila and Berlin to “strengthen cooperation in the maritime sector,” she said.

“One-third of the seafarers around the world are Filipinos, and a robust shipping industry in the Philippines and worldwide will be good for the employment of Filipino seafarers,” Algabre said.

The Philippines will also sign a joint communique with the Czech Republic on the setup of a consultation mechanism for “the safe and orderly migration of Filipino workers and the provision of higher protection of their rights and welfare.”

There are currently about 7,000 Filipino workers in the Czech Republic and about 36,000 in Germany. Algabre said the Czech Republic had expressed interest in having more Filipinos in its labor market.

“In fact, they have announced a yearly quota of 10,000 Filipinos starting this May who may enter the Czech Republic for work. This will be in different types of jobs, [both] skilled and professional work,” she said.

“There are also opportunities for our countrymen in other sectors and industries because we are known for our skilled workforce,” Algabre added.

Trip No. 24, 25

Mr. Marcos is scheduled to see Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Senate President Miloš Vystrčil and President of the Chamber of Deputies Markéta Pekarová Adamová.

He will also have events with the Filipino community in Prague and Berlin.

The two upcoming visits will be the President’s 24th and 25th foreign trips since assuming office in 2022.

This year, Mr. Marcos has been to three countries so far—Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam in January, and Australia in February and March.

Malacañang has earlier drawn criticism for the President’s P1.408-billion budget for local and foreign trips this year—a 58-percent increase from his travel purse of P893.57 million in 2023.

Algabre said those travels were necessary to support the President’s development agenda and would ultimately benefit the country.

Addressing critics, she said the trips were “not at all” a waste of public funds.