PAF, US counterpart hold joint air patrol over West Philippine Sea; China says PH ‘stirring up trouble’

Three FA-50 light jet fighters of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and a B-52H bomber aircraft of the United States Pacific Air Force (PACAF) held a combined air patrol over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) for the first time on Monday, February 19, as China’s military said the Philippines was “stirring up trouble” with its recent actions.

The PAF and US PACAF air assets started their flight at 90 nautical miles west of Candon, Ilocos Sur and ended at 50 nautical miles northwest of Lubang, Mindoro.

The combined air activity was deemed the second phase of the third Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and US Armed Forces held last February 9. During the activity, Philippine Navy and US Indo-Pacific Command ships and aircraft surveyed the WPS.

“It is the air component of the said activity that demonstrates the commitment of both armed forces to enhancing interoperability and advancing regional peace and security in the Indo-Pacific,” Col. Xerxes Trinidad, AFP public affairs office chief, said.

“It also further strengthens the capability of the AFP to perform its mandate and maintain its presence over the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” he added.

Watch: PAF, US counterpart hold joint air patrol over West Philippine Sea

The air patrol did not sit well with China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea including areas within the 200-nautical mile EEZ of the Philippines or the West Philippine Sea.

“The Philippine side brought together non-regional country to stir up trouble in the South China Sea, and publicly hyped up the air patrol,” the Southern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China said in a statement on Tuesday, February 20.

The PLA Southern Theater Command said it organized frontline naval and air forces to “closely monitor” the joint air patrol between the PAF and US PACAF.

But PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo insisted that the air patrol was done within the country’s territory, and the cooperative activity was aimed at bolstering the cooperation with their US counterpart.

“With this activity, the PAF underscores its commitment and readiness to support the AFP’s efforts in safeguarding the national territory and sovereign rights, and upholding regional peace and security,” she stressed. — Martin Sadongdong