RP military admits it's not capable to fight against forces of other nations claiming ownership in Spratly's

By Ronron
March 11, 2008

Aside from the fact that a peaceful resolution to any problem is always the best option, a diplomatic approach to the proposed exploration of resources in the Spratly's off Palawan in eastern Philippines is being pushed by a Philippine military official as he acknowledged that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) might not be able to win or at least, sustain a war against forces of other claimant countries should this happen.

"We can't beat their military forces… That's the reality… That's why, with that reality, we are still suggesting a diplomacy," Philippine Navy vice commander Rear Admiral Amable Tolentino told reporters in Filipino Tuesday.

The Spratly's, believed to be rich in mineral and oil resources aside from marine resources, is being claimed wholly or partially by the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, China and Malaysia.

It is currently a hot issue with the disclosure of a Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking there (JMSU) between commercial firms of the Philippines, Vietnam and China, which some say as violative of the Philippine Constitution.

Tolentino said that currently, there are a total of 60 Philippine soldiers deployed in some islets there that are being claimed by the Philippines, half of which are on Pag-asa Island.

Tolentino said that while the JMSU may be good for the country as it leads "to our purpose of how to make use of the economic potential" of the area, doing so will always entail "a possibility of war."

"From a student of regional security, for us, diplomacy is still the best. We want to avoid war as much as possible… This is a political decision of those in the higher leadership. We in the military will only implement what is given us," he said./DMS