The government is boosting its maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea following President Duterte’s declaration that local ships won’t pull out from the disputed area, an official said Saturday. National security adviser Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr., who concurrently serves as the chairperson of the government task force for the West Philippine Sea, noted that bigger groups have been deployed in the area. “We have long positioned our forces there, but we are intensifying it now with the help of the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Coast Guard or the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Philippine National Police,” he said in a televised briefing.

Phl boosting WPS presence. (2021, May 16). Daily Tribune, pp. A1, A2.