Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Francis Orcio

ABS-CBN News

MANILA - A retired Philippine Navy officer has urged the Philippine government to adopt a tougher approach to Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea, arguing that recent developments near Scarborough Shoal reflect a long-term effort by Beijing to strengthen its presence in disputed waters.Speaking during an online forum hosted Saturday by the National Youth Movement for the West Philippine Sea (NYMWPS), retired Navy commander and former Naval Forces West operations director Leysander Ordenes called for the removal of Chinese floating structures recently detected near Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal.“We recommend the removal of all foreign structures. They can tow them by towing or dismantling. And the last option, if they won&#x27;t do the towing away and the dismantling voluntarily, is a demolition by the Navy,” Ordenes said.“The non-removal of the structures are being read by China as their legitimate claim on Scarborough Shoal. So every month for the past so many years, they have been doing this repeated activities, repeated presence of the structures and repeated presence of their vessels,” he added.Ordenes rejected China&#x27;s description of the structures as research platforms, saying similar installations first appeared in the 1990s before expanding into larger facilities.Drawing from his experience as a former commander of Naval Special Warfare Unit 4 and operations director of Naval Forces West, Ordenes recalled the Philippines&#x27; response after Chinese structures were discovered on Mischief Reef in 1995.“From President Fidel Ramos to Joseph Estrada, it was all search and destroy for the Philippine Navy, for my team from Naval Special Warfare. It meant we were very aggressive doing our search and destroy activities,” Ordenes said.“We don&#x27;t care what the Chinese say. What we see, we destroy. If they are there in their ships, we tell them you have to leave the vicinity because in seven minutes, your structure, your boat will boom. That&#x27;s what we tell them. And they listen to us, they leave,” he added.He alleged that foreign vessels operating in the area during the 1990s were involved in poaching marine resources and damaging coral reefs.Ordenes also criticized what he described as the Duterte administration&#x27;s &quot;hands-off&quot; approach to the maritime dispute, saying it weakened the country&#x27;s position in the contested waters.“And then came Rodrigo Roa Duterte from 2016 to 2022. He changed the tempo of how we do jobs, how we do things, how we patrol in the West Philippine Sea. Because it was a hands-off policy,” he claimed.“It’s a do-nothing policy from 2016 to 2022... His provocative statements about the Philippines being a province of China were taken seriously by the Chinese embassy, by pro-Chinese Filipinos in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world. So that created a lot of problems, especially for the military, for the Armed Forces of the Philippines and for the Philippine Coast Guard,” he added.The retired naval officer urged the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, and maritime police to maintain regular patrols in the West Philippine Sea, saying deterrence is essential in protecting the country&#x27;s maritime interests.<div> </div><div>2024 AYUNGIN SHOAL INCIDENT</div>The discussion also revisited the June 2024 confrontation at Ayungin Shoal, where a Filipino serviceman lost a thumb during a clash with Chinese personnel.Ordenes described the incident as an &quot;act of war&quot; and argued Philippine forces should be allowed to respond more firmly to similar encounters.“I called it an act of war because what the Chinese did, they destroyed our rigid hulls, they destroyed our radios. Then they stole the firearms of the Navy SEALs and cut off the thumb of that guy. So I said that&#x27;s an act of war,” he said.<div> </div><div>U.S. EXPERT WARNS AGAINST PASSIVITY</div>Retired U.S. Navy officer Carl Schuster, who also spoke during the online forum, argued that the lack of consequences for aggressive actions in disputed waters has encouraged further assertiveness.“If I fire the warning shots before it gets that close, they know that approaching me is going to lead to them suffering some kind of consequences. But most aggressors interpret inaction as tacit approval of their activity,” Schuster said.“Bullies tend to respond to consequences. Lack of consequences tell them they can continue on... And I can&#x27;t help but feel that the passivity of the 90s by both the United States and, at the turn of the century, the Philippines... encouraged China to do what they&#x27;re doing,” he added.Schuster also warned that China&#x27;s recent assertions over the Taiwan Strait could foreshadow broader claims in the South China Sea.“Here&#x27;s my concern... China claims the entire South China Sea. It has occupied many of the Spratly Islands. I think it&#x27;s only a matter of time that China will declare its island territories to be archipelagic and suddenly demand that everybody get their permission before they go through those waters, fish in them or whatever,” he said.Participants also renewed calls for the Philippine government to explore another international legal case over Scarborough Shoal, arguing that while the 2016 arbitral ruling invalidated China&#x27;s &quot;nine-dash line&quot; claim and clarified maritime rights, it did not resolve the question of territorial sovereignty over the disputed feature.The speakers said the West Philippine Sea remains a critical area for fisheries, maritime security, shipping lanes, and potential energy resources, underscoring the need for the Philippines to strengthen both its legal and maritime posture while managing relations with China.

A retired Philippine Navy officer has urged the Philippine government to adopt a tougher approach to Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea.

A retired Philippine Navy officer has urged the Philippine government to adopt a tougher approach to Chinese activities in the West Philippine Sea.

Ex-Navy officer urges tougher stance on Chinese activities in West Philippine Sea

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Ex-Navy officer urges tougher stance on Chinese activities in West Philippine Sea

Francis Orcio,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 21, 2026 12:12 AM PHT

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West Philippine Sea

China

Philippine Navy

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