President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. ordered the strengthening of maritime security and maritime domain awareness of the Philippines following China’s latest act of aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

Marcos signed Executive Order (EO) No. 57 which creates the National Maritime Council (NMC), the renamed version of the National Coast Watch Council (NCWC) which formulates policies and strategies for the country’s maritime security and domain awareness.

The NMC will formulate the National Security Policy and Strategy (NMSPS) to strengthen ''maritime security and maritime domain awareness.'' Once approved by Marcos, the NMSPS will enforced through the implementing arm of the NMCm the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.

The NMC has the power to accept assistance and donations from domestic or foreign sources for purposes relevant to its mandate.

“Despite efforts to promote stability and security in our maritime domain, the Philippines continues to confront a range of serious challenges that threaten not only the country’s territorial integrity, but also the peaceful existence of Filipinos, including their fundamental right to live in peace, freedom, free from fear of violence and threat,” Marcos said.

He added that the country is committed to upholding its freedom of navigation and overflight under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Members of the council include the Executive Security, the National Security Adviser of the National Security Council (NSC), the Solicitor General, the director general of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA), and the secretaries of the Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Department of Transportation (DoTr).

Under the order, the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) is also part of the council.

The council is directed to meet quarterly. Jaspearl Tan/DMS