Oban confident diplomacy will settle Spratlys row

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City, Philippines—Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, General Eduardo Oban Jr., said Saturday the military was confident that diplomacy would end the conflict over the disputed territories in the Spratly Islands.

“There are miracles on the table,” Oban told reporters at the Philippine Military Academy here. He attended the incorporation of 195 cadets who compose PMA Class of 2015.

He said the military was hopeful that diplomats of claimant countries, including the Philippines, would end the tension fueled by alleged Chinese military incursions into disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

The Philippine Navy flagship, BRP Rajah Humabon, left La Union on Thursday for a defensive patrol of Scarborough Shoal, one of the disputed territories off Zambales.

Oban said the military’s posture was “active defense” and was not aimed at provoking foreign naval forces.

He made no references to the Spratlys in his speech, but Oban told reporters that he was ready to offer his insights to cadets who would ask him about the current territorial dispute with China.

Barraged with questions on whether the Philippine Navy would survive a Chinese naval attack, he said: “This is not about the Spratlys. [It] is more about the protection of our maritime zone, 200 nautical miles as prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas.”

“We are looking at preserving our maritime resources. Dapat ang posture natin active defense. Dapat ito ang underlying principle (Our posture should be active defense. This should be our underlying principle),” Oban said.

He said foreign navies were also patrolling these waters to protect their interests in the region, and if one or two countries crossed the line, “then we can talk it out,” he said.

“A lot of miracles come from the table. We can settle a lot of things from the table, meaning by talking, by engaging in dialogue,” he said.

Oban said dialogue had been the spirit behind conferences among military leaders in Southeast Asia in the past. He said the AFP was counting on the fact that dialogues among military leaders in the region have resulted in “a united viewpoint and action pertaining to the preservation of stability in our seas.”

The presence of BRP Rajah Humabon in the Scarborough Shoal should not offend China, he said. “We have always been present… patrolling our territorial waters and our exclusive economic zone,” he said.

Oban said the Philippine Coast Guard has an even bigger role because it is tasked to enforce maritime laws.

“[The AFP] has two [patrol ships navigating the waters] and we think that two is enough to secure territorial integrity because of Coast Guard ships in the area, and they have big ships too,” he said.

Oban said the Department of Energy recently gave the AFP an P8-billion supplemental fund to buy equipment for a “coastal watch system” that allows constant monitoring of the country’s coastline.

“The system allows us to detect and monitor activities in the seas, and we are putting up that system in Palawan,” he said.