Amidst Tensions with China, Philippines Moves Closer to Deploying Brahmos Anti-ship Missile

A group of 21 soldiers of the Philippine Marines Corps (PMC) completed operator training for BrahMos shore-based anti-ship missile system (SBASMS) ahead of its deployment at a time when the country has seen frequent incidents of aggressive behaviour by Chinese PLA vessels in the South China Sea.
Indian Navy chief, Admiral R Hari Kumar awarded the 21 PMC personnel interim badges and pins during a valedictory ceremony for the operator training for BrahMos cruise missile in the Indian capital last week.
The Brahmos SBASMS is expected to serve as a deterrence against foreign naval vessels (mainly Chinese) entering the Philippines Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) without permission.
The training ran from 23 January to 11 February, 2023 focused on the operations and maintenance of the SBASMS that will be delivered to the Philippines this year, the Philippines Marine Corps (PMC) announced on its Facebook page.
Col Romulo D. Quemado, Commander of the Coastal Defense Regiment (Provisional), lauded the team for the successful accomplishment of the training and expressed his optimism on the future of the regiment with the trained personnel.

Tensions between Manila and Beijing flared to new heights last week when a Chinese PLA vessel reportedly fired a "military grade" laser at a Philippines Coast Guard ship temporarily blinding its personnel in an attempt to force the vessel to leave a disputed part of the South China Sea.
The PLA Navy's action led to a rare rebuke from Philippines President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr who summoned the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines to personally register a protest.
Aggressive behaviour by the Chinese Navy and Coast Guard near the Philippines EEZ has become fairly common. Last week, the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs filed its eighth diplomatic protest during the current year before the Chinese Embassy in Manila, calling on Beijing to "cease and desist" its aggressive activities against Philippine vessels.
Yesterday, the Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said, “[O]n a day-to-day basis, there are still many events occurring in the South China Sea, and there are daily incidents, at least as far as we see it, of cases of harassment or land reclamation, which in many cases have been depriving the Philippines of the use of our exclusive economic zone.” Manalo was speaking during the Munich Security Conference panel session on Saturday.
In January 2022, India’s BrahMos Aerospace and the Philippines signed a deal worth $375 million for the PMC to acquire three batteries of the BrahMos cruise missile.