PH Navy undeterred by China’s ‘grey zone’ tactics in WPS

Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad. (Photo: Philippine Navy/Facebook)

By Priam Nepomuceno, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – The Philippine Navy (PN) said it is unfazed by China’s continued use of “grey zone” tactics and continues to perform its mandate in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), a ranking naval official said on Wednesday.

“We have always been there (WPS), hindi humina yung ating posture (our posture there did not weaken), yung ating stand ng ating gobyerno (that’s the stand of our government) through the different instrumentalities in the maritime domain, kasama dun ang (along with the) PN,” PN spokesperson for WPS, Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, said in a radio interview.

The PN official also said Navy and Air Force units under the Western Command and Northern Luzon Command have regular patrol plans for the WPS.

Trinidad said there is no need to respond or react every time China commits “grey zone” tactics, which he added are “illegal, coercive and deception actions.”

“Grey zone” tactics are defined as acts committed by a state that are harmful to another state and are sometimes considered to be acts of war, but not legal acts of war.

In the WPS, such tactics include the Chinese use of its Coast Guard ships to harass Filipino vessels engaged in its lawful and peaceful mandate.

Harassment includes ramming, water cannoning and blocking against Filipino ships.

Aside from military force, Trinidad said there are other instruments that can be used to protect the country’s territorial integrity.

“Ika nga (as stated) the different instruments of national power, kasama dun (these include) diplomacy, political, informational, military, economic. So dapat maramdaman all (these must all be felt, the) instruments of national power, a whole of government and even a whole of society approach, pati taong bayan (even the citizenry),” he added.

Trinidad also said China is not in control of the WPS.

“That’s what they want (others) to think, they are not in control of the WPS, we are freely performing our mandate of patrolling the seas and the air, of fighting for our sovereignty, of showing the flag. Kumbaga nandun sila, nandun tayo (it’s like this, they are there, we are also there),” he added.