Philippines has a secret weapon in its South China Sea tussle with Beijing: the female voice
- Female radio operators dubbed Angels of the Sea will be tasked with keeping vessels from China and elsewhere out of Philippine-claimed territory
- Scheme’s creator says Asians’ matriarchal mindset means their voices will carry the authority of a wife or mother. But some feminists aren’t impressed
To deter intruders in its maritime territory, the Philippines is pinning its hopes on a new secret weapon – a woman’s voice.
Coastguard officials are hoping that a new unit of 81 specially trained female radio operators – dubbed the “Angels of the Sea” – can deter wayward foreign vessels from entering its territory in the conflict-ridden waterway.
They are hoping the female operators will remind them of their wives and mothers.
The mastermind of the operation believes that not only will the women’s voices be more likely to ease tensions with foreign crews – who may resent a male operator barking commands at them – but they will also hold a psychological advantage over their opponents due to the matriarchal aspects of Asian societies.
The operation is understood to have been influenced by an incident in April in which the pre-recorded voice of a female coastguard operator appeared to drive off seven Chinese vessels caught loitering near a Philippine-claimed reef.
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Rear Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, who thought up the Angels of the Sea operation, said its appeal was “maternal”, as female voices evoked “the authority of wives or mothers that pervades the Asian culture”.