The Philippines is working on a new set of internal rules to better coordinate the actions of agencies involved in contentious areas of the South China Sea as Manila adopts a whole-of-government approach to respond to Beijing's gray-zone activities.

“Considering the evolving nature of what's happening with China, both in the air and at sea, we are updating our existing rules of engagement and working on more relevant and appropriate protocols,” Philippine Presidential Assistant for Maritime Concerns Andres Centino told The Japan Times in a recent interview.

“We need a new set of guidelines that govern the actions of our law enforcement agencies,” said Centino, who also served on two occasions as the Philippine military’s chief of staff.