Muling humirit si Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte na magkasa ang Pilipinas ng joint maritime patrol sa West Philippine Sea kasama ang US at iba pang ka-alyadong bansa.
Kasunod na rin ito ng muling pagdagsa ng Chinese vessels sa Del Pilar Reef at Escoda Shoal na sakop ng West Philippine Sea.
“It is our hope that the recent swarming incident, as reported by our Armed Forces (of the Philippines or AFP) and the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard), at Del Pilar Reed and Escoda Shoal near the Recto Bank, and the latest ‘dangerous maneuvers’ by CCG (Chinese Coast Guard) ships to block our Coast Guard vessels from reaching Ayungin Shoal would give our military reason to double down on the planned joint patrols of the WPS with the US and other like-minded allies like Japan and Australia,” saad ni Villafuerte.
Umaasa ang mambabatas na maisakatuparan ang joint patrol na ito sa ilalim ng pamumuno ni Sec. Gilberto Teodoro sa Department of National Defense.
Napapanahon din aniya ang magkasamang pagpapatrolya lalo at nakakuha ng suporta ang Pilipinas mula sa 22 bansa sa paggiit ng sovereign rights sa WPS.
“Stepped-up maritime patrols would really be a deterrent if such were to be conducted in tandem with vessels from the US, Australia, Japan and our other allies who want to keep the Indo-Pacific region a zone of peace and stability.” dagdag ng mambabatas.
Batay sa ulat, isa sa mga sasakyang pandagat ng China na namataan sa WPS ang 12,000-ton Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) 5901 na binansagang “The Monster” dahil sa ito ang pinakamalaking coast guard ship sa buong mundo. | ulat ni Kathleen Jean Forbes
