Naval revamp on West PH Sea will increase coordination – Tolentino

MANILA, Philippines — The reorganization of the Philippine Navy forces to better defend the country's interests and rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) would also increase coordination between other agencies securing the region, Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino said on Tuesday.

In a statement, Tolentino said the changes in the Navy’s order of battle in the WPS were necessary in implementing the Philippine Maritime Zones Law signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in November 2024.

“For purposes of implementing the Philippine Maritime Zones Law, we need a new command dedicated to maritime security and improving our response capabilities in the WPS,” he said.

“This will also enhance coordination among the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine National Police Maritime Group,” he added.

According to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report released on March 31, the Department of National Defense has approved the reorganization of Naval Forces West to Western Naval Command, and the Naval Forces Northern Luzon to Northern Luzon Naval Command.

The Naval Forces West is in charge of securing waters near Palawan, including the Kalayaan Island Group in the WPS.

Meanwhile, the Naval Forces Northern Luzon oversees maritime security in the Panatag Shoal, Balintang Channel in the north facing Taiwan, and the Philippine (Benham) Rise in the east.

Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said the expansion was due to the “increasing importance” of naval forces in the two areas.

“With the advent of the comprehensive archipelagic defense concept and shift to external defense, they are playing an increasing role in the defense and security of the country,” he said.

READ: Navy prepares to revamp West Philippine Sea order of battle

Tolentino said this only proves that the Navy is committed to adapting to changing times and calls for greater responsibilities.

“The strengthening of our Western Philippine Sea order of battle, as announced by the Philippine Navy, proves the dynamism of our armed forces, and their commitment to perform their mandate to protect our country's territorial integrity and sovereignty,” he said.

Tolentino previously called for the creation of a West Philippine Sea Command, which will unify the armed forces’ Western and Northern Luzon Commands, to improve response capabilities and enhance cooperation.

Last February, the Navy said they would study the proposal.

READ: Navy studies West Philippine Sea Command proposal

The WPS is a body of water within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, which touches part of the South China Sea.

The Philippines has long claimed that the area and encompassing landforms and underwater resources belong to the country, but China has been aggressive in insisting that the area is part of their nine-dash line territorial claim, despite the 2016 arbitral award favoring the Philippines and dismissing China's claims for lack of legal basis.

Due to the opposing claims, tensions have risen several times, including last February when the Philippine Coast Guard spotted four Chinese vessels near Bajo de Masinloc. One of the vessels was China Coast Guard vessel CCG 5901, the so-called "monster ship."

READ: PCG spots ‘monster ship,’ more China vessels at Bajo de Masinloc 

Last February 18, a Chinese military helicopter came as close as three meters above a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources plane conducting a maritime patrol of the Panatag Shoal, another sandbar in the WPS.

READ: Chinese PLA Navy chopper gets as close as 3 meters to BFAR plane 

Over Chinese social media platforms, there were also videos showing that the nine-dash line now includes Palawan.

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines has already clarified that the island of Palawan never belonged to China, saying that the Philippines and its state predecessors have “always exercised sovereignty over our archipelago and over Palawan in particular.”

(2025/04/01-11:05)