U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Sails with Philippine Navy in South China Sea - Naval News

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Maritime security expert Ray Powell, a retired US Air Force officer, described the joint activity as another milestone in the continued reinvigoration of the U.S.-Philippine alliance under the President Ferdinand Administration.

“These exercises send the message that the Philippines is not alone in the West Philippine Sea, but must be considered by potential adversaries as part of a network of military allies and partners. This increases Manila’s leverage on the international stage,” Powell said.

China has competing claims in the South China Sea with the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.

In 2016, a U.N. arbitration court ruled in favor of the Philippines, saying that China’s historical claims to the sea region as delineated then in Chinese maps by a nine-dash line (now a 10-dash line) were invalid. But Beijing rejected the ruling and has since insisted that it has jurisdiction over all areas within that boundary.

Back in 2012, Manila took Beijing to court after alleging that Chinese naval vessels obstructed the Philippines’ entry to Scarborough Shoal, which has since remained under China’s administrative control."

“The 2nd maritime cooperative activity marks a significant leap in our alliance and interoperability with the United States. It also demonstrates our progress in defense capabilities and development as a world-class armed force, as we carry out our mandate to protect the people and the state,”

The Philippine Navy will never be considered a World-Class armed force. They don't have the finances for the support of building a single world class vessel. I hate that simple fact because I love Filipinos, but they just will always be speed bumps to the larger navies.