PCG needs more assets

To defend its claims in the South China Sea, Manila will need more white hulls.

Why the Philippines Needs to Develop Its Coast Guard

By Jay Tristan Tarriela

In 2012, the Philippines was accused by China of militarizing the territorial dispute over Scarborough Shoal when it deployed the Philippine Navy’s flagship BRP Gregorio del Pilar to apprehend a Chinese fishing vessel and arrest its fishermen. This military adventurism on the part of the Philippine Navy, by deploying the latest warship in its inventory at that time, cost the country the moral high ground in performing ordinary maritime law enforcement.

This blunder under the Aquino administration marked the start of deteriorating Sino-Philippine relations due to tensions over the territorial conflict in South China Sea. That trend continued for the rest of Benigno Aquino’s term.

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Source: thediplomat.com