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Philippines External Defense
The Philippines perceived no serious threat of external
aggression in 1991. The reduction in the Soviet naval and air
presence in Vietnam and a more benign Soviet foreign policy had
eased fears of involvement in superpower contention. Although
some Filipinos were wary of the growth of Japanese military
capabilities, Japan was not seen as a near-term threat.
The Philippines had two territorial disputes in 1991 that had
national security implications. The first concerned a shallow
section of the South China Sea west of the Philippine archipelago
containing some small islands that were part of the larger group
of Spratly Islands. Referred to as Kalayaan by the Philippines,
it is a rich fishing area that had been identified as a potential
source of petroleum deposits
(see Relations with Asian Neighbors
, ch. 4). The Spratlys, however, were claimed in toto by China,
Vietnam, and Taiwan, whereas Malaysia laid claim to parts of the
continental shelf underlying the southernmost islands in the
chain.
The Philippine government first put forth informal claims to
Kalayaan in the mid-1950s. In 1978 Marcos made formal claims by
declaring that fifty-seven of the islands were part of Palawan
Province by virtue of their presence on the continental margin of
the archipelago. The Philippine military, which first occupied
three of the islands in 1968, continued to garrison marines on
several islands. China, Vietnam, and Taiwan also occupied several
islands. Although the Chinese and Vietnamese navies clashed in
the Spratlys in March 1988, as of 1991, the Philippines had not
been involved in any military confrontations over the islands.
The other territorial dispute involved the Malaysian state of
Sabah on northern Borneo. In 1962, when the British-administered
territories of Sarawak and Sabah were incorporated into Malaysia,
the Philippines notified Britain of its claim to Sabah on the
grounds that it formed part of the Sultanate of Sulu and had only
been leased to British traders beginning in 1878. When Malaysia
was formed in 1963, the Philippines established diplomatic
relations but then immediately broke relations over the Sabah
issue and did not reestablish them until 1969. Marcos publicly
renounced the claim to Sabah in 1977, but Malaysia insisted that
total renunciation required a constitutional amendment. The issue
was clouded by ties between Muslims in the southern Philippines
and Sabah, and by Philippine allegations--denied by Malaysia--
that Sabah afforded sanctuary to Moro rebels.
Data as of June 1991
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