June 5, 2024
MANILA – Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are holding a coast guard and maritime law enforcement forum to discuss the strengthening of cooperation among them, especially in the South China Sea where claimants have overlapping claims.
“This will serve as a way for the entire Asean region to have one voice on various challenges about freedom of navigation,” Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson Rear Adm. Armando Balilo told reporters on Monday.
The Asean Coast Guard Forum will be held in Davao City from June 5 to June 8. Also part of the agenda are ways to address drug trafficking, human smuggling, illegal fishing, piracy and the entry of weapons of mass destruction in the region, Balilo said.
He added that there would likewise be an information sharing session and a declaration of cooperation in protecting marine resources in Southeast Asia.
The Asean member states include the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand.
The PCG District Southeastern Mindanao will lead the security preparations for the event, Balilo said. One of its largest ships, the BRP Gabriela Silang, together with the PCG Special Operations Force, K-9 Force quick response teams were already placed on standby, he said.
At the House of Representatives, Deputy Minority Leader France Castro urged the government to work with its Southeast Asian neighbors to protect the region against China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea.
Aside from the Philippines, the other Asean countries claiming part of the South China Sea are Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. —with a report from Jeannette I. Andrade
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