By Cliff Potts, CSO, and Editor-in-Chief of WPS News

Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines — February 17, 2026

The Problem: Incidents Without Records Do Not Exist

Maritime interference in the West Philippine Sea often occurs in short, controlled encounters. Vessels maneuver at close range. Radio warnings are exchanged. Courses are altered. Operations are delayed.

If these events are not properly documented, they effectively disappear. Verbal accounts, partial video clips, or inconsistent logs are rarely sufficient for legal review, insurance assessment, or allied briefings. An incident that cannot be verified cannot be acted upon.

This creates a structural advantage for interference. Actions can be repeated without consequence when each encounter is treated as isolated or poorly recorded.

Why Documentation Changes the Balance

Documentation turns an encounter into a record.

When time, location, vessel identity, behavior, and response are consistently captured, interference shifts from anecdote to evidence. Evidence allows patterns to be identified. Patterns allow conclusions to be drawn.

This is not a media function. It is an operational one. The value of documentation lies in accuracy and consistency, not emotional impact.

What Effective Documentation Requires

Effective maritime documentation follows a standard process.

At minimum, each incident should include:

  • Continuous video with visible time and date stamps
  • GPS position data recorded throughout the encounter
  • Radar or AIS tracks when available
  • Clear audio recordings of radio communications
  • Visual identification of vessels involved

Consistency matters more than volume. Collecting the same data in the same way across multiple encounters allows comparison and analysis.

Without standardization, documentation loses credibility.

Documentation as a Cost-Imposition Tool

Documentation alters behavior even when no immediate response follows.

When interference is reliably recorded, the interfering vessel faces increased exposure. Unsafe maneuvering, repeated obstruction, and false safety claims become traceable over time.

This increases operational risk without escalation. Documentation raises cost quietly by creating accountability.

The Role of Escort Vessels in Evidence Collection

Escort vessels provide stable platforms for documentation.

Coast Guard crews are trained to maintain recording discipline during tense situations. They operate calibrated equipment and follow reporting procedures that civilian crews may not be able to sustain under pressure.

This improves data quality and reduces gaps. Escorts do not only provide presence. They provide reliable records.

Limits of Documentation Alone

Documentation does not stop interference by itself.

Records must be reviewed, securely stored, and shared appropriately. Poor data handling undermines trust. Delayed analysis reduces relevance.

Documentation is effective only when it feeds into legal, diplomatic, and operational systems.

Why Confrontation Is the Wrong Measure

Confrontation focuses on immediate outcomes: who backed away, who issued warnings, who appeared dominant.

Documentation focuses on cumulative outcomes: how often interference occurred, how it was conducted, and whether behavior changed over time.

In prolonged maritime pressure campaigns, cumulative outcomes matter more than single encounters.

Bottom Line

In the West Philippine Sea, interference succeeds when it leaves no usable record. Documentation removes that advantage.

By standardizing evidence collection and treating each encounter as part of a larger pattern, the Philippines can reduce the effectiveness of interference without escalation. The objective is not to win confrontations. The objective is to ensure that interference no longer operates without consequence.

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References (APA)

Bateman, S. (2017). Maritime security and law enforcement in the South China Sea. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 39(2), 221–245.

Erickson, A. S., & Kennedy, C. (2016). China’s maritime militia. Center for Naval Analyses.

Permanent Court of Arbitration. (2016). The South China Sea Arbitration (Philippines v. China).

United Nations. (1982). United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

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