Why the Waters Must Get Rough
November 06, 2026 – Quezon City, NCR, Philippines
Article by Whesley Samar
Editorial | West Philippine Sea
People think the September 18 ramming of the civilian fisheries ship BRP Datu Magat Salamat and the sudden China Coast Guard patrols near Batanes are just angry reactions. Many point to the Seoul Defense Dialogue in September as the spark. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. went viral there. He publicly humiliated a Chinese military attaché on an open mic by reading their handwritten note and telling them they lost the 2016 Hague ruling.
It was a great television moment. But the violence in the West Philippine Sea is a calculated response, not just hurt feelings. China is panicking because the Philippines is finally changing the status quo.
For a long time, our defense posture was comfortably inward-looking. Because we were strictly focused on internal security, China was able to slowly take over our waters without facing outward, physical resistance. Teodoro changed that baseline by launching the Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CADC). This doctrine means our military is no longer just fighting local insurgencies or documenting maritime harassment; they are actively defending our entire 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone. Furthermore, by expanding the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) bases in Northern Luzon, we placed a massive strategic anchor right next to the vital Bashi Channel, a maritime chokepoint critical to both China and Taiwan.
China knows its window to quietly bully us is closing. Ramming a civilian Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ship just 54 nautical miles off Palawan instead of a gray-hulled Navy vessel is a deliberate test. Beijing is violently probing the limits of our Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States. They want to know exactly how much they can terrorize our supply lines without triggering a full military response. Their goal is to scare the public into forcing the Marcos administration to walk back this new defense strategy.
But their plan is failing. The Armed Forces of the Philippines just reported a significant drop in Chinese ships swarming the West Philippine Sea. The numbers fell from 101 in September to about 80 in October. With the Philippines hosting the ASEAN Summit right now, Beijing is simply taking a calculated tactical pause. Still, this drop proves something critical: our loud pushback and uncompromising transparency are forcing them to recalibrate. Their old playbook of quiet dominance is completely broken. They now have to worry about their international image while regional leaders sit in Manila.
Once the ASEAN delegates leave Manila, the harassment will inevitably return. China will unleash its water cannons, military-grade lasers, and rammings to try and exhaust our Coast Guard and BFAR personnel. But we must understand that this friction is not a sign of a failing policy — it is the undeniable proof of our resistance. Beijing is resorting to messy, highly visible, and politically costly attacks because our deterrence strategy is finally biting.
The geopolitical waters will undoubtedly get rougher before any new equilibrium is reached. But this is exactly why domestic unity is non-negotiable. China is playing a long waiting game, betting that our internal politics will fracture and that future administrations will abandon the CADC to revert to submission. Backing down now, or letting political divisions distract us, would mean surrendering our sovereignty at the exact moment the Philippines finally found its spine.
Bibliography
Kim, E. (2026, September 20). Philippine defense secretary condemns Chinese 'gulag' diplomacy tactics. The Chosun Daily. https://www.chosun.com/english/world-en/2026/09/20/G2YHMEHSWBHHRNCWRVTJO3ELA4/
Lee, C. (2026, September 9). Philippine defense chief names China most challenging threat, vows to use all legal options. Korea JoongAng Daily. https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/philippine-defense-chief-names-china-most-challenging-threat-vows-to-use-all-legal-options/12868039
On the BRP Datu Magat Salamat Ramming Alpha Navigation. (2026, September). South China Sea tensions rise after Chinese ship hits Philippine patrol vessel. Alpha Navigation. https://alphanavigation.com/news/south-china-sea-tensions-rise-after-chinese-ship-hits-philippine-patrol-vessel
Philippine Daily Inquirer. (2026, October 6). Ramming in WPS: Who are our friends, who are our foes? Philippine Daily Inquirer. https://opinion.inquirer.net/194908/ramming-in-wps-who-are-our-friends-who-are-our-foes
On the Drop in Chinese Vessels (October 2026 AFP Report) Daily Tribune. (2026, November 3). AFP monitors 80 Chinese vessels in West Philippine Sea in October. Daily Tribune. https://tribune.net.ph/2026/11/03/afp-monitors-80-chinese-vessels-in-west-philippine-sea-in-october
GMA Integrated News. (2026, November 3). 80 Chinese vessels spotted in WPS in October — AFP. GMA News Online. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/1008124/80-chinese-vessels-spotted-in-wps-in-october-2026-afp/story/
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