With less than 100 days in office, President Aquino has created a high-level task force that would synchronize a “unified” government action in protecting the country’s sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea. In Memorandum Circular No. 94, the President assigned the National Security Adviser to chair the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea with several government departments and security agencies as members. The formation of the high-level task force came amid the country’s protest against China’s aggressive reclamation activities to assert its claims in the West Philippine Sea. Manila is still waiting for a decision of the UN tribunal on its petition asserting maritime entitlements in the disputed territory. “Consistent with the Constitution, the Philippines’ interests in the West Philippine Sea include the maintenance and protection of Philippine sovereignty, preservation and defense of territorial integrity, and promotion of the welfare and well-being of the Filipino people,” the circular [...]
