Zubiri on WPS drills: We seek no war but it’s hard to talk with some nations

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri officially joined the Philippine Army Reserved Force as Lieutenant Colonel on April 8, 2024. Photo from Zubiri’s office.

MANILA, Philippines — For Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, the recently-concluded multilateral maritime activity (MCCA) in West Philippine Sea is not meant to instigate war with China.

Zubiri noted that such activities are needed in view of a certain quarrelsome country which harasses the Philippine Coast Guard and the fishermen in the western section of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

“Unang sasabihin ko, ayaw po natin ng gyera sa ibang bansa. Subalit ang problema naman natin, may mga bansa na talagang mahirap kausapin,” Zubiri said in an ambush interview at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon city.

(First, I would like to say that we do not want a war with another country. But our problem is that there are countries that are really difficult to talk with.)

“Minsan, sinabi ko nga, mahirap mahalin dahil pinahihirapan po nila ang ating mga mangingisda, ang ating Coast Guard at ang ating mga kababayan sa West Philippine Sea,” he explained.

(Sometimes, I even say that it is difficult to love, as they torment our fishermen, our Coast Guard and our fellow citizens in the West Philippine Sea.)

READ: DND: 2 Chinese ships tailed Sunday’s multilateral patrol in West PH Sea

Zubiri also said the joint maritime exercise conducted by Philippines with the United States, Australia and Japan shows the readiness of these countries to deal with different scenarios.

“Hindi po ito pinapakita na gusto natin ng gyera. Pinapakita lang po natin dito ay handa po ang ating mga like-minded countries, yung naniniwala sa freedom of navigation,” Zubiri said.

(This does not demonstrate that we want war. This only shows that the like-minded nations, those countries that believe in freedom of navigation, are ready.)

“We need to continuously keep the freedom of navigation and rules of law and the code of conduct in the West Philippine Sea and all other territories outside the Philippines,” he added.

Two Chinese warships were tailing the MCCA on Sunday.

This action was in line with Beijing’s assertion of sovereignty in the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, even if such a claim had been effectively invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal ruling that stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013.

Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Romeo Brawner earlier said the MCCA was held successfully since the Chinese warships did not interfere with the activity.

“I congratulate the AFP, the Philippine Navy, for a successful joint patrol and joint sails in this area of the West Philippine Sea [with] our brothers in Japan, Australia and US,” Zubiri said.