West Philippine Sea

The Trump-Xi bromance provides another warning.

The West Philippine Sea may be existential to us.

To Washington and Beijing, it is one item in a much larger strategic ledger containing Taiwan, trade, technology, Iran, critical minerals, and global influence.

That does not mean America will abandon its commitments.

For treaty allies caught in regional flashpoints like the Philippines, Such erratic behavior carries a real and present danger.

In the face of increasing Chinese aggression, the country is deeply dependent on its 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty with the U.S. to deter aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

But we must carefully navigate the treacherous waters of alliance management when the person at the top of our main ally exhibits such profound instability and volatility.

When American commitments depend on the whims of a leader willing to threaten annihilation one moment and tear up long-standing alliances the next, our defense planners cannot afford blind trust.

The BRP Datu Magat Salamat may require about 1,400,000 pesos in repairs after colliding with a China Coast Guard vessel.

The BFAR vessel was assisting Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea on September 18 when the collision occurred off Palawan.

No injuries were reported but the BFAR vessel sustained damage on its starboard side.

The Philippine Coast Guard described the incident as a deliberate ramming.

So what you're saying is that it was the existential threat and strategic urgency of developing a country that kept the Park Chung-hee and the Chiang Kai-shek's honest.

Well, now we have a threat in the West Philippine Sea.

There's US and China tensions.

Don't you think now there's that kind of geopolitical pressure? Because for me, I don't think this status quo can last.

Other departments do have hotlines, mind you.

Just to follow up on that, when we're talking about incidents in the West Philippine Sea, the broader South China Sea, I understand that you are not directly involved in the Code of Conduct negotiations.

I don't want to get into the process piece of that.

As a defense secretary, what would you want to see or need to see out of some kind of a new agreement, something like a code of conduct that would reassure you that the Philippines would be able to operate in its own waters as it has in the past? What could actually emerge out of a code of conduct that you would consider to be favorable?

Of course, you served once prior to this as defense secretary.

You came in just over three years ago into a slightly different outlook.

Things had not started to really ramp up in the West Philippine Sea when you took your position.

What has surprised you as a person who's been defense secretary before? What has surprised you about how things have occurred this time? And what have you learned? Yeah.

So they are actively working against us.

We see them actively working against our allies like the Philippines and the West Philippine Sea.

They are an aggressive, malign power.

And Xi Jinping has said he's made it his goal to replace us by 2049.

On AI, if there is some sort of an agreement or accommodation, that'd certainly be good, but I don't know how you could possibly trust a communist Chinese.

They lied about everything else, right? They lied to us under Obama.

They said they'd stop attacking our cyber structure, and they said they wouldn't militarize the islands in the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea.

And they lied about both those things.

His camp has cited health conditions in seeking continued hospital confinement and maintains that he remains entitled to the presumption of innocence in the plunder case.

A low-pressure area could form over the West Philippine Sea in the coming days and weaken the southwest monsoon, or habagat, Pagasa said Thursday, September 10.

Pagasa said the possible formation of the LPA could pull the habagat away from the country, leading to decreasing rainfall, particularly over western Luzon, possibly starting this weekend.

For now, habagat rains may remain heavy over Zambales, While light to moderate rains and occasional heavy downpours may affect Metro Manila and several parts of Luzon and the Visayas, the weather forecast station reminded the public to remain cautious of possible flash floods and landslides, especially in western Luzon, as rainy conditions continue in the coming days.

Similarly, there have been reports that the current US government intends to make investment and development under the PAC Silica Initiative contingent on the agreement of participants not to do business with China in artificial intelligence and related tech areas.

Despite our dispute with China over jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, our trade, cultural, and even ethnic relationships have been strong for centuries.

The US is an equally important friend, ally, and trading partner.

The Philippines cannot afford to sacrifice either relationship for the sake of the other.

Philippines further extends Pag-Asa Island runway.

The Philippines further expanded the runway of Rancudo Airfield on Pag-Asa, Thichu, island in the West Philippine Sea, with recent commercial satellite imagery showing construction activity on a newly dredged section of the airfield.

PlanetLab satellite imagery published by Radio Free Asia showed the construction of foundations and key walls on the runway extension.

The imagery indicates that the airfield is being extended from about 1,300 meters to roughly 1,500 meters.