Philippine army personnel fire their Autonomous Truck Mounted howitzer system (ATMOS), a 155 mm calibre self-propelled gun system, during the maritime strike exercise as part of the joint US-Philippines annual military Balikatan drills on a strip of sand dunes in Laoag on Luzon island’s northwest coast on May 8, 2024. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse
MANILA, Philippines — The National Security Council (NSC) assures on Wednesday that the Philippines does not face an “imminent attack” from China.
The NSC made the assurance after Senator Imee Marcos’ warning that 25 areas in the country could be possible targets of a Chinese hypersonic missile attack.
Marcos warned on Monday that Beijing might use its hypersonic missiles in areas including the Ilocos region, Subic, and Batanes due to Manila’s move to approve more Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites, where Washington is allowed to store equipment and station troops.
“The PH (Philippines) and PRC (People’s Republic of China) maintain cordial relations and are committed to managing whatever differences there may be. Thus, we see no threat of any imminent attack from the PRC,” NSC spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a statement.
READ: 25 areas in PH possible targets of China hypersonic missile attack – Imee Marcos
For security expert Chester Cabalza, the scenario mentioned by Sen. Marcos remains unlikely.
“I don’t think that China would threaten the Philippines and will start a war in the South China Sea,” Cabalza, president and founder of Manila-based think tank International Development and Security Cooperation, told INQUIRER.net on Wednesday.
“I don’t think the US and its allies will allow another open war to happen in the world,” he added.
Two of the newly-approved Edca sites are located in the coastal towns of Cagayan, which is relatively near Taiwan, a self-ruled island regarded by China as a renegade province subject to reunification.
READ: Sen. Marcos on Edca sites: Why do we rely on foreigners to defend us?
These new Edca sites irked Beijing, which stressed that the agreement was made so that Washington could “encircle and contain China,” which would drag the Philippines into “the Taiwan question,” a claim that Manila rejected.
Marcos also cited the tensions in the West Philippine Sea, one of the flash points being the resupply missions for the troops of BRP Sierra Madre grounded in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
The June 17 confrontation there between the China Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy led to what the latter deemed as “looting.” It caused a serious injury to one of its personnel.
Beijing’s actions are based on its assertion of sovereignty in almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea. It continues to reject a July 2016 Arbitral Award that effectively dismissed its claims while ruling heavily in favor of Manila.
Manila and Beijing on Tuesday held a bilateral consultation mechanism, and Malaya noted that both countries “reaffirmed their commitment to de-escalating tensions” in the West Philippine Sea.
Malaya said “there was also substantial progress on developing measures to manage the situation at the West Philippine Sea, including improving maritime communications.”
READ MORE: Philippines says it won’t back down, but won’t start a war, after clash with Chinese Coast Guard
Nevertheless, Malaya said they will reach out to Sen. Marcos to seek clarification about her claims.
“We will reach out to Senator Imee to get more information about her statement because we are not aware of any of the security threats she mentioned,” Malaya said.
For its part, the Department of National Defense said it could not react to Marcos’ claims.
“The Defense Department has no basis for a comment or reaction to Sen. Marcos’ video, because we have not seen nor read the plans that she referred to,” the DND said in a brief statement on Wednesday.