If the Philippine government’s recent actions concerning the country’s territorial dispute are any indication, then the Duterte administration is making its stand known. From merely sending diplomatic protests, the government has become more assertive in word and deed as far as sending a message that it is determined to protect every inch of Philippine territory. The National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), for one, has led the conduct of “sovereignty patrols” with the deployment of several vessels from the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Defending country's border. (2021, May 3). Daily Tribune, p. D24.