Maritime security to be tackled at ASEAN Coast Guard Forum

The coast guards from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) started their forum in Davao City on Wednesday to discuss maritime security including the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said on Thursday.

In a statement, PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said among the focus of this year's forum includes "crafting protocols on engagements at sea."

“The participating Coast Guard officials will finalize the concept paper and terms of reference (TOR), and initiate the crafting of the South East Asian Protocols on Engagements At Sea for ASEAN Coast Guards and Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies (SEA-PEACE) to guide ASEAN Coast Guard in dealing with various maritime law enforcement operations at sea,” Balilo said.

PCG commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, who chairs the forum, said the meeting is very significant for the Philippines especially amid its geopolitical challenges.

For Gavan, the forum allows the Philippines to inspire other coast guards in the region to ensure a safe, secure, and prosperous ASEAN maritime region.

He added that this will be enforced based on international law, including UNCLOS and its relevant conventions, the arbitral award, treaties, and other legal instruments.

In his speech during the opening ceremony,  Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra pointed out that the Philippines will “always seek peace in its relations with other countries” amid “formidable challenges to the enforcement of our rights to our maritime domain.”

“Peace and adherence to international law are values that are writ large in the Philippine Constitution where we have expressly renounced war as an instrument of national policy,” Guevarra said.

Amid the changing and challenging international landscape in the region, Guevera said ASEAN should always consider that the sovereign equality of states must remain sacrosanct; ASEAN and ASEAN-led processes must remain central; the rule of law and the integrity of multilateralism must prevail.

The coast guard forum between the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand will run until June 8. --Joviland Rita/ VAL, GMA Integrated News