RATHER than pulling out as demanded by the Philippines, China has kept its ships in some areas of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) and West Philippine Sea (WPS), and their number has even increased. They include those manned by the Chinese Navy.
Even Vietnamese ships have also been sighted within the country’s exclusive economic zone, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said on Wednesday as it sustained its sovereignty patrols in the KIG and WPS.
The task force said that Area Task Force-West reported that based on its maritime patrol on May 9, a total of 287 Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels are scattered over the various features of the Municipality of Kalayaan, “both within and outside the EEZ.”
As for Chinese Navy vessels, two CMMs and two Houbei-class missile warships were seen inside the Panganiban (Mischief) Reef while a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ship was also spotted in the main waters of Kalayaan. On May 6 and 7, Chinese Coast Guard vessels were sighted at the Pag-asa Cays and Ayungin Shoal.
The NTF-WPS by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr said that the May 9 patrol also showed the presence of 34 CMM ships at Julian Felipe Reef. Previously, the government had reported that only nine Chinese ships were left at the reef.
The increased number of Chinese vessels at the Julian Felipe Reef indicated some ships returned to the reef after most of them dispersed weeks ago. On March 7, at least 227 CMM vessels were seen at the reef, but most of them left three weeks later.
Roque draws flak
Earlier, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque drew flak for saying the country has never been in possession of Julian Felipe.
The Julian Felipe Reef, the NTF-WPS said, is a low tide elevation located 175 nautical miles (NM) from Bataraza, Palawan and “within our 200-nautical mile EEZ,” also disputing Roque’s claim about it being outside the EEZ.
“It is part of Philippine territory in as much as it is located within the overlapping 12 NM territorial seas of McKennan [Chigua] Reef and of another possible high-tide feature, Grierson [Sin Cowe East] Reef, also our territories under the Municipality of Kalayaan,” the NTF-WPS said.
The May 9 patrol of the Area Task Force-West also sighted two Vietnamese logistics/supply ships and one Vietnamese Coast Guard VN vessel at Sin Cowe East (Grierson) Reef.
The NTF-WPS said that from May 3 up to 10, the Area Task Force-North reported an average presence of four Chinese Coast Guard vessels at Bajo de Masinloc, and an average of one similar vessel, each for both the Pag-asa Islands and Ayungin Shoal.
“Further, the same patrol observed two CMM ships at Panata Island; one Vietnamese fishing vessel at Kota [Loaita] Island; sixty-four [64] CMM in Burgos [Gaven] Reef North; two Vietnamese Fisheries Surveillance ships at Paredes [Discovery Great] Reef; and one CN [Chinese Navy] rescue service hip, three PLAN [People’s Liberation Army-Navy warships] and 55 CMM vessels at Kagitingan [Fiery Cross] Reef,” the task force said.
The task force said the country is beefing up its presence in the WPS “with a view towards law enforcement, deterrence of illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing [IUUF], and protection of the welfare and safety of our fisherfolk. The latter are encouraged to sail and fish in the WPS.”
“The National Task Force remains guided by the national policy and interest in asserting our territorial and sovereign rights as upheld by the 2016 arbitral ruling,” the NTF-WPS said.
“We reiterate that the Philippines shall continue to defend its sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea, and shall not yield an inch of our territory,” it added.
Locsin vs Roque
Roque’s remark about Julian Felipe reef being outside the Philippines’s EEZ, meanwhile, also drew a stinging reaction from Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. Locsin said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has the last word on foreign policy. “There is only one voice on what’s ours: mine. Period. Not even the military has any say. I speak for the President on this subject,” Locsin tweeted.
Locsin was reacting to Roque’s response to a question in a Malacañang press briefing, when asked on Tuesday about China’s continued militarization in the West Philippine Sea.
According to Roque, the reef is not even in the country’s EEZ, but the continued presence of Chinese vessels there was the subject of numerous diplomatic protests lodged by the DFA.
However, Roque backtracked what he said earlier and claimed we could pursue our claim to the boomerang-shaped lagoon by bringing the matter to the International Court.
“While Julian Felipe Reef is not within our Exclusive Economic Zone [EEZ] because it forms part of the territorial sea of McKennan which we claim in accordance with the Marcos Presidential Decree, it is in our country’s interest to continuously pursue our claim through diplomacy or in the future by submitting it to the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice,” Roque said in a separate statement.
Earlier, in reply to Roque’s rhetorical question of “What can we do?” in a tweet, Locsin said ,“What can we do? Let’s try this: drop the subject and leave it entirely to the Department of Foreign Affairs under ME, the only expert on the subject bar none. I’ve known China since 1967; Chito Sta. Romana along with me. Even the military has nothing to do with foreign affairs.”
Image courtesy of DFA-ASEAN
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