The Philippines is prioritizing multilateral patrols as a key part of naval operations to protect its vast maritime territory. The strategic shift reflects rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea — the portion of the South China Sea that encompasses Manila’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) — and growing partnerships with regional nations.
The Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA) framework enables Manila and its partners to conduct joint naval and air exercises that enhance interoperability and affirm support for international law in the West Philippine Sea. Launched in November 2023 as the Philippines-United States Maritime Cooperative Action, it has expanded to include partners such as Australia, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.
In 2025, the Philippines conducted eight MMCAs and 12 bilateral maritime activities, marking an unprecedented operational pace. The engagements extend beyond the West Philippine Sea to southern maritime approaches, signaling a broader defense posture.
“Multilateral patrols offer greater opportunities for interoperability with like-minded navies, utilizing diverse and modern capabilities for maritime domain awareness,” said Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea. “The multilateral framework allows for complementary use of capabilities from the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] and our partners and allies, thus ensuring a persistent presence in our maritime domain and other potential flashpoints like Bajo de Masinloc and Ayungin Shoal.
“This also helps to effectively close surveillance gaps,” Trinidad told FORUM.
Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, has been the scene of repeated confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in recent years, including China Coast Guard and maritime militia ships conducting dangerous blocking maneuvers and firing water cannons at Philippine civilian and government vessels operating lawfully within Manila’s internationally recognized EEZ. Beijing seeks to enforce its expansive sovereignty claims in the South China Sea despite an international tribunal’s 2016 ruling rejecting those arbitrary claims in a case brought by the Philippines under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
With that key legal victory anchoring its maritime policy, the Philippines has strengthened security ties with its longtime ally, the U.S., and expanded defense agreements with regional and extra-regional partners.
During a February 2026 MMCA, Australian, Philippine and U.S. vessels conducted replenishment-at-sea and other drills near contested features in the West Philippine Sea to uphold freedom of navigation.
Chinese naval ships were spotted near Scarborough Shoal during the exercise.
“These patrols facilitate our transparency initiative,” Trinidad said, referring to Manila’s strategy of publicly documenting maritime incidents, particularly in the West Philippine Sea. The participation of international partners, meanwhile, reinforces the rule of law.
With one of the world’s longest coastlines, the Philippines faces challenges in ensuring maritime domain awareness across the archipelago, according to Chester Cabalza, a Manila-based security analyst. The need for additional naval and air assets and infrastructure can be “mitigated through the latest phase of the Philippines’ military modernization program,” he told FORUM.
Cabalza said Manila also could elevate multilateral initiatives into broader defense forums to bolster the maritime security framework through a “more institutionalized regional approach.”