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HEADLINES
Killing of Pinoy at sea, act of war – FMJ
By Nidz Godino
"Thank God we have not yet gotten to the point where any of our participants, civilian or otherwise have been killed," President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. answered during brief Q&A at the end of his keynote speech at the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies-Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit.
"Willful" killing of any Filipino, whether military or civilian, in the country's sovereign waters will be close to "act of war," and Philippines and its security allies will act accordingly, President Marcos said.
It was Marcos' reply to a question from delegate on what he would deem to be "crossing the red line" amid incidents of China Coast Guard blasting Philippine vessels with water cannons in West Philippine Sea.
"But once we get to that point, that is certainly, we would have crossed the Rubicon, certainly crossed the Rubicon…is that the red line…almost certainly it's going to be a red line," he said.
Marcos gave similar response when asked at forum hosted by Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines in April in Manila what could trigger country's Mutual Defense Treaty with United States.
In his speech, Marcos denounced illegal, coercive and aggressive actions in South China Sea. He urged respect for "legally settled" maritime rights based on United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Marcos said Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries had vision for "peace, stability, and prosperity" in South China Sea, but he added this was being undermined by other actors, without naming China.
"Unfortunately, this vision remains for now distant reality. Illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions continue to violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction," he said.
Encounters between Philippines and China in Asia's most contested waters have grown more tense and frequent during past year as Beijing presses its claims to shoals in waters that are well within Philippines' exclusive economic zone.
China's coast guard has stepped up so-called "grey-zone" activities such as use of water cannons, collisions and ramming tactics to try to stop Philippine resupply and patrol missions. It has also deployed fishing boats Philippines and its allies consider militia.
Philippines, sprawling archipelago with strong historical ties to United States and close geographical proximity to China, is at the center of an intensifying power struggle between Washington and Beijing.
Earlier, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and China's defense minister, Dong Jun, met in Singapore on sidelines of Asia's premier defense summit.
During meeting with Dong, Austin underscored importance of freedom of navigation under international law, especially in South China Sea, according to a Pentagon statement released after meeting.
Dong responded by telling Austin that United States was stoking tensions through its military presence in the region, his spokesperson told reporters.
Marcos said tensions between United States and China were destabilizing for Southeast Asia, calling on Washington and Beijing to work harder to resolve disputes.
"Their rivalry is constraining strategic choices of regional states…their contest is exacerbating flashpoints and has created new security dilemmas, continued stability of this region requires China and United States to manage their rivalry in responsible manner," Marcos concluded.
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