Amid escalating volatility in the South China Sea and global anxiety over maritime trade security, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced Friday that ASEAN leaders have reached a consensus in principle to establish a regional maritime center based in the Philippines.
The proposal stood out as a landmark development of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu. The envisioned center aims to serve as a unified hub for monitoring and coordination across the region’s vital waterways.
“The concept of it, the principle of it, has been fully agreed on,” Marcos said during a press conference. “I did not hear any arguments against it,” he added.
The President noted that the initiative has become increasingly urgent as the South China Sea—a critical corridor for global commerce—becomes harder to navigate due to geopolitical friction.
“I suppose the situation in the South China Sea becomes more unreadable,” Marcos said.
However, he clarified that the facility is not designed as a tool for confrontation against any specific nation.
“What we are working for is the continued freedom of navigation and the peaceful navigation in the South China Sea,” he said.
Marcos drew parallels to the instability in the Middle East, citing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as a cautionary tale for the Indo-Pacific.
“As has been demonstrated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — if such a thing would happen in the South China Sea, the inevitable consequences are alarming just to even think about,” he said.
Once operational, the center will integrate the individual maritime efforts of member states to combat illegal fishing, smuggling, and human trafficking, while ensuring strict adherence to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
While the Philippines has offered to host the headquarters, the President acknowledged that the bloc must still iron out details regarding funding and organizational structure.
“It’s going to be a big job,” he said, pointing to the massive daily vessel traffic the region must oversee.