Philippine military ready versus foreign aggression

THE PHILIPPINE military is ready to defend the country against foreign aggression, its top general said on Thursday, in what appeared to be a response to Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio's remarks that the country is not prepared for war.

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"The AFP stands united and future-ready, not to provoke war but to deter conflict and defend the nation with valor, vigilance and vital partnerships across the globe," Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. said in a statement.

Ms. Duterte at a rally for her supporters in Melbourne, Australia last week said the Philippines should not lean on the US amid its sea dispute with China.

"Her statements undermine our national interest and betray her constitutional duty to protect the security and welfare of the Filipino people," think-tank Stratbase Institute said in a separate statement.

The Office of the Vice-President did not immediately reply to an e-mail seeking comment.

"The Philippines is not acting on behalf of any foreign power; we are asserting our sovereign rights under international law and the 2016 arbitral award — something she, as a duly elected public official, should be defending," Stratbase President Victor Andres Manhit said in the statement.

A United Nations-backed tribunal in 2016 voided China's sweeping claims for being illegal, a ruling that Beijing does not recognize.

Stratbase also condemned China's "latest act of aggression," after its coast guard harassed Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels near Scarborough Shoal on June 20 using water cannons and dangerous maneuvers.

"This is not an isolated event but only the latest in a series of unprovoked actions that demonstrate China's blatant disregard for the Philippines' sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.