Philippines To Deploy Fighter Jets, Patrol Gun Boats Amid Escalating Tensions With Beijing In SCS

By
Sakshi Tiwari
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Amid escalating tensions between China and the Philippines in the heavily contested South China Sea, the Philippines is strengthening its presence in the region by deploying patrol gunboats and fighter jets.

While warning against repeated incidents of Chinese aggression and high-handedness, the Philippines has moved to reinforce the South China Sea using assets such as patrol vessels and a new Marine battalion focused on littoral operations, according to a recent report by Naval News.

The report states that the Philippines has deployed patrol gunboats along with a newly established Marine unit focused on littoral operations to Palawan, the country’s westernmost island.

This effort is part of the country’s military modernization initiatives aimed at transitioning Philippine forces from internal security responsibilities to external defense operations to combat the burgeoning China threat.

Notably, the Palawan region is located just 87 miles away from the disputed Sabina Shoal and 120 miles away from the Second Thomas Shoal, the two regions of turmoil and frequent showdown between Manila and Beijing.

The report further states that four Navy patrol boats and a Marine Corps Maritime Security Battalion have been sent to the westernmost province of the nation following one of the most serious incidents between Manila and Beijing on June 17. The China Coast Guard seized Philippine troops and equipment during an Armed Forces of the Philippines-led resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) at Second Thomas Shoal.

Additionally, the Naval Detachment at Ulugan Bay in western Palawan – the Philippine Navy’s primary base for operations into the South China Sea – is now home to American Cyclone-class patrol ships and Israeli Acero-class patrol gunboats. These vessels include BRP Lolinato To-ong (PG-902), BRP Valentin Diaz (PS-177), BRP Gener Tinangag (PG-903), and BRP Ladislao Diwa (PS-178).

The Littoral Combat Force, responsible for overseeing the service’s operations in littoral and coastal areas, has notably altered its force posture through the deployment of patrol boats to western Palawan and the South China Sea. Manila’s efforts to reinforce the region have, thus, been evident in its recent deployments.

For instance, earlier this month, two vessels – Gener Tinangag and Lolinato To-ong – anchored at the strategic Thitu Island. They became the first patrol gunboats of the Acero class to get certification for external defense missions.

Additionally, the Maritime Security Battalion formed by the Philippine Marine Corps recently left Luzon for the Southwestern Frontier in tandem with the Navy’s deployments. The 4th Marine Battalion, which had been a land-centric unit that had focused on counter-insurgency in Palawan for the previous 12 years, was supplied with fiberglass-reinforced plastic boats and underwent a refit earlier this year that involved training for littoral operations.

After decades of operations centered on internal threats, the leadership of the Philippine Navy and Marine Corps emphasized the unit’s significance as a restoration to “naval character” in the wake of rising threats from China.

This has not gone down well in China, which has accused Manila of creating a forward deployment base by anchoring its Coast Guard vessels in the disputed Sabina Shoal.

For example, Chinese state media alleged that the Filipino Coast Guard vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua has been anchored near the Sabina Shoal since mid-April and that the service was looking to anchor another vessel in the region to further its “occupation.”

The Philippines has bolstered its presence in the region, intensifying patrols at sea and in the airspace above it. After a PLA Air Force jet dangerously intercepted a Filipino aircraft earlier this month, Manila has hinted that it is contemplating the deployment of FA-50 fighter jets to escort its patrol aircraft over the South China Sea.

FA-50GF light attack aircraft
FA-50GF light attack aircraft

Following the interception, the Philippines Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary, Gilberto Teodoro Jr., said, “Ito ay (It will be a) continuous struggle for presence and assertion of sovereign rights in the area so you will have to expect these things to happen.” Teodoro stated that it was imperative to discuss the deployment of FA-50PH for escorting patrol aircraft in the future.

In June 2024, the Philippines intensified its patrols in the region in response to a contentious Chinese law that permitted its coast guard to detain foreigners suspected of trespassing. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, defying the ruling by the international tribunal in The Hague in 2016.

No, Let Up In Tensions 

In the wee hours of August 19, Chinese and Philippine Coast Guard ships collided near the Sabina Shoal in the disputed Spratly Islands. The incident has been hogging the headlines, with both sides trading barbs against one another. The Chinese side has accused the Philippines of deliberately crashing one of its ships into a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel.

In contrast, the Philippines’ National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea claimed that two ships from the Philippine Coast Guard faced “unlawful and aggressive maneuvers” from the CCG vessels while en route to Patag and Lawak islands in the area. The Philippines has garnered support from its allies, including the United States.

The incident is not the first to be reported in the region, where the two sides continue to fight for territory. Manila has accused Beijing of violating its sovereignty and warned that the aggression could spiral into a larger conflict. Both sides even signed a provisional agreement to prevent confrontations at sea. However, tensions have continued to escalate.

The collision comes weeks after China anchored its “monster” coast guard vessels within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), intensifying the ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea. The move was decried as “intimidation” by Filipino officials. “It’s an intimidation on the part of the China Coast Guard,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Jay Tarriela asserted at the time.

“We’re not going to pull out, and we’re not going to be intimidated.”

China has continued to assert full sovereignty over the Spratly Islands. In the aftermath of the collision, China asserted “indisputable sovereignty” over Sabina Shoal and the surrounding waters, as well as the Spratly Islands, also referred to as the Nansha Islands in Chinese.

Since last year, coast guard ships from China and the Philippines, along with accompanying vessels, have been involved in several increasingly alarming incidents in that area. These incidents have triggered fears of a miscalculation leading to a region-wide escalation.

On his part, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has stated that while his country is not interested in instigating a war, it “will not be intimidated” by anyone, interpreted as an indirect reference to China.

 

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