‘PH to refocus WPS efforts’

From the Manila Standard (Jul 21, 2023): ‘PH to refocus WPS efforts’ (By Francisco Tuyay and Vince Lopez)

Centino: Address geopolitical issues in troubled waters

Outgoing Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino said Thursday his appointment as Presidential Adviser on the West Philippine Sea was brought by the need to refocus government efforts and address pressing concerns in the volatile waterway.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro agreed, telling reporters yesterday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s appointment of Centino “underscores the importance of the WPS and the dynamic of the events which occur there on a daily basis.”

This also reflects the need of the President to have someone focus on the sea lane as a “presidential adviser with Cabinet stature,” Teodoro added.

This developed as the government said it is keeping a close eye on Taiwan, the Philippines’ northern neighbor, amid the possibility of an invasion from China.

“That is a thing that we continue to monitor daily and hopefully the engagements bilaterally between the United States and China lead to the diffusion of tensions in that territory,” said Teodoro.

The country’s defense sector also supports fully the appointment of Philippine Army (PA) commander Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. as the next AFP chief of staff, replacing Centino.

Teodoro said this appointment, and the AFP turnover ceremony scheduled today highlight the stability of succession in the military.

On his appointment as WPS adviser, Centino said: “There was a need to bring focus on the matters in that part of the country.”

“We have actually mechanisms as to how these issues should be addressed, we have the National Task Force -West Philippine Sea but our leadership has deemed it important that (we give) focus and importance on the way we address the issues there in a bigger scale and that’s why they thought of creating an Office of the Presidential Adviser,” he added.

Also, Centino said there is a need to address “geopolitical issues” more appropriately.

When asked what issues the President wants to address in the WPS, the outgoing AFP chief said there are incidents that should not happen if addressed properly.

He cited the recent swarming of dozens of Chinese militia ships at Sabina Shoal that alerted the Philippine Coast Guard and military personnel stationed in the Western Command in Palawan to take necessary steps to protect the country’s sovereignty.

“It can be gleaned from what’s happening with the reported incursions in the past months that added focus is necessary, and perhaps it should be addressed properly to avoid such recurrence,” Centino said.

He said that his office, which is being established, will be an “interagency task force.”

“As to the specifics, you know the office has yet to be created, but what is clear is that there should be more focus on how we handle or address the problems there (in the WPS),” Centino added.

The DND chief said the change in AFP chiefs from Centino to Brawner will be as seamless as possible with as “much continuity of policies both in the transition to external defense and internal security.”

Malacañang on Wednesday announced the appointment of Brawner as the military’s next chief.

Centino already reached the mandatory retirement on Feb. 4 this year but qualified for another three-year term following the signing of Republic Act 11709.

Under Republic Act 11709, the AFP chief of staff, vice chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, heads of the major services (Army, Navy, and Air Force), unified command commanders, and inspector general will have a three-year term of office “unless sooner terminated by the President.”

As to his message to Brawner, Centino said the AFP must be a “discipline, determined and dedicated military organization capable of addressing all threats.”

Teodoro was asked if the current defense program of the Philippines also prepares for the likely invasion of Taiwan by China.

“First and foremost, we really have to make an assessment whether such is likely or not,” he said.

“Nonetheless, we continue to plan on all contingencies not merely any flashpoint between China and Taiwan but any contingency within the theater and it’s a multi-agency effort not only the defense effort,” he added.

China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, in April staged drills around the island in anger at President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with the speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Taiwan’s government strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims and vows to defend itself if China attacks the island.

In May, President Marcos responded with an outright “no” when asked if the United States government requested Filipino soldiers to be deployed to Taiwan if tension escalates.

“No. The short answer is no,” Marcos said.

Marcos disclosed that the US also never asked for the sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) to be used as staging points for any attacks against other nations.

“To be fair, the United States has never brought up the possibility that we will use, that the United States will use the EDCA sites as staging areas for any offensive actions against any countries,” Mr. Marcos said.

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