Manila urged to focus on peace, diplomacy

A militarized solution will only draw the Philippines into "conflicts that serve the interests of others "and not de-escalate tensions in the South China Sea, an anti-war forum in Manila heard on Monday.

According to experts at the forum, the Philippine government should focus on diplomatic solutions to its dispute over the strategic waterway instead of expanding U.S. military access to the country.

The hybrid forum came ahead of the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Manila for the 4th Philippines-U.S. Foreign and Defense Ministerial Dialogue on Tuesday. It was organized by the Manila-based think tank Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies, or ACPh.

Herman Tiu Laurel, president of ACPh, opened the forum by warning against U.S.-sponsored warfare and using the Philippines as a forefront to launch a war in Asia.

ACPh Vice-President for External Affairs Anna Rosario Malindog-Uy said establishing U.S. military bases in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, "places our country at the forefront of geopolitical tensions that are not of our making".

"It risks drawing us into conflicts that serve the interests of others, particularly the United States, rather than our own," Malindog-Uy said, noting that Philippine security policy should prioritize peace, diplomacy and mutual respect between nations.

"Our opposition is not rooted in anti-American sentiment but in a firm belief that true security and stability are achieved through peaceful means, not military might," she said.

Rommel Banlaoi, president of the Philippine Society for International Security Studies, said that negotiations, such as holding bilateral consultation mechanisms in the South China Sea, have shown that diplomatic means can effectively settle the dispute.

"We really need direct consultation and negotiations to peacefully settle our territorial disputes and maritime jurisdictional conflicts," Banlaoi said.

He said the Philippines and China can work on various areas of cooperation on the South China Sea such as marine scientific research, marine environmental protection, search and rescue operations, safety of navigation at sea, and combating transnational crimes.