NSC: New maritime body’s counter-response vs China not purely militaristic

SURROUNDED This frame grab from aerial video footage taken and released on March 23, 2024, by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows a China Coast Guard ship and vessels identified by PCG as “Chinese Maritime Militia” (left and right) surrounding the PCG ship BRP Cabra during its supply mission near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. Photo by AFP/PCG

MANILA, Philippines — The government’s countermeasure against China’s aggression in the West Philippine Sea is not purely militaristic, said National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya on Monday.

Malaya recounted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s bold pronouncement last Maundy Thursday that the Filipinos will not yield to Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, promising that there will be appropriate countermeasures.

READ: Marcos on Chinese Coast Guard’s water cannon attack: ‘Filipinos do not yield’

“Many of our countrymen think that our counter-response or measures are purely military. The measures cover multi-dimensions and this is one aspect of that,” Malaya said, speaking in a mix of Filipino and English, at the “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” public briefing.

READ: Marcos forms body to beef up West Philippine Sea security

Malaya explained that part of the countermeasures that Marcos promises is the creation of a new government body to respond to maritime issues.

“Despite efforts to promote stability and security in our maritime domain, the Philippines continues to confront a range of serious challenges that threaten not only the country’s territorial integrity but also the peaceful existence of Filipinos, including their fundamental right to live in peace and freedom, free from fear of violence and threat,” said Marcos in Executive Order No, 57.

In March, another water cannon attack from the Chinese Coast Guard left three Filipino crew members injured, a serious escalation from previous confrontations in the past.