AT least 240 Chinese maritime militia vessels were monitored in various areas inside Philippine waters as of April 11, based on patrols conducted by the military, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said late Tuesday.
Twenty-one other Chinese vessels were also spotted.
The task force, in a statement, said the Armed Forces’ Western Command reported the presence of Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels in the waters of Kalayaan town in Palawan, well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Last month, the task force reported the presence of about 220 Chinese vessels at the Julian Felipe reef also in Palawan.
The task force said it “denounces the continuous swarming in the WPS by Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and maritime militia which are claimed by Chinese authorities to be ordinary fishing vessels.”
The Chinese Embassy in Manila has yet to respond to the latest report of the task force but the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a briefing in Beijing on Tuesday, reiterated China’s position that it will safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana ordered the deployment of three additional Navy ships to the West Philippine Sea.
The Department of Foreign Affairs filed two diplomatic protests against China for illegal fishing and massing more than 240 boats.
Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate (PL, Bayan Muna) challenged the President to break his silence and condemn China’s latest act of aggression, saying the filing of diplomatic protests or demarche, or, even summoning China’s ambassador to explain its continued incursions and occupation of maritime features in the West Philippine Sea, may no longer be enough.
“China has practically thrown to the garbage the previous diplomatic protests filed by the Philippines as it continuously violates the territory of the Philippines and tramples on our sovereign rights. At best, a diplomatic protest serves to merely register for the record the Philippine government’s position on these incursions. Unless President Duterte breaks his silence and denounces what China is doing, the diplomatic protests filed by the Department of Foreign Affairs will just continuously fall on China’s deaf ears ,” he said in a statement.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, in a statement, said President Duterte “underscored the importance of the 2016 Arbitral Ruling before the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly.”
“The National Task Force on West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) has always been consistent in invoking Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights over West Philippine Sea. On its part, Department of Foreign Affairs has earlier filed an appropriate diplomatic protest against China and summoned Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian over the Julian Felipe Reef situation. The presence of Philippine maritime security and law enforcement forces have been stepped up in the municipality of Kalayaan to protect Filipino fishermen and the marine resources,” he added.
The task force said that of the 240 Chinese vessels “lingering” in the West Philippine Sea, 136 were spotted at the Burgos Reef (also known as the Gaven Reef), 65 at Chigua (McKennan) Reef, 11 at Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas), nine at Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef, six at the Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, five at Kota Island (Loaita), four at the Pag-asa Islands (Thitu), three at Zamora (Subi) Reef, and one at Likas Island (West York).
Also spotted during patrols by Philippine authorities were “People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels” — two Houbei class missile warships at Panganiban Reef, one Corvette class warship at Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef, one Navy tugboat at Zamora Reef, and two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels within the Pag-asa Islands waters.
The task force also reported the presence of two PLAN vessels, three CCG vessels, and 10 CMM vessels at the Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough) Shoal.
“The combined presence of PLAN warships, CCG and CMM in the municipality of Kalayaan and the Philippine EEZ is prejudicial to the peace and security of the region. The continuous swarming of Chinese vessels poses a threat to the safety of navigation, safety of life at sea, and impedes the exclusive right of Filipinos to benefit from the marine wealth in the EEZ,” the NTF-WPS said.
It added that the Chinese vessels should withdraw from the Philippine EEZ.
“In keeping with its role as a development partner, China should take the Philippine representations seriously and respect Philippine sovereignty, rights and interests in consonance with the further strengthening of Philippine-China bilateral relations,” the NTF-WPS said.
The Task Force said Chinese militia ships are now “dispersed at the Pagkakaisa (Union) Banks and Pag-asa Islands.” The vessels measure 60 meters long and can catch at least one ton or 240,000 kilos of fish.
The NTF-WPS said Chinese fishing activity is illegal and falls under the illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF).
The Philippine Coast Guard noted that during an earlier patrol of the Philippine Coast Guard, Chinese poachers were found collecting giant clams in the vicinity of the Pag-asa Islands.
“The poachers quickly departed when approached by the Philippine Coast Guard. This act is a blatant violation of Philippine fisheries and wildlife laws, and the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),” it said.
The task force also said it is investigating reports that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel and an armed Houbei class missile warship followed a civilian Filipino vessel as it travelled from Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal to the coast of Palawan. The private vessel carried a news crew that were interviewing Filipino fishermen.
“The NTF-WPS views with serious alarm the recent reports,” it said.
Last month, the task force reported the presence of suspected Chinese militias at the Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun) which the Chinese initially said were taking refuge due to the weather.
The Chinese later asserted that the Julian Felipe Reef is within China’s traditional fishing grounds as it reiterated that it does not recognize a 2016 arbitraI ruling that invalidated China’s nine-dash claim or claim over almost the entire South China Sea. The arbitral ruling also recognized the Philippines’ sovereign rights to parts of its EEZ which China is claiming.
AFP spokesman Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said there is a need to increase military presence in the WPS to bolster the country’s claim on the disputed area.
Arevalo said the military cannot fully perform these missions if it will not send more assets to the WPS which is being the Philippine-claimed portion of the South China Sea.
China is claiming the whole South China Sea while it is being claimed in part by — aside from the Philippines — Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan.
Arevalo said the three ships will augment two other Navy vessels operating in the WPS.
The Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources have three ships in the area, according to the Area Task Force West of the NTF-WPS.
Arevalo said the Armed Forces will continue its patrols in the WPS if the Chinese would not stop illegal fishing inside the 200-mile EEZ.
Former Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said the repeated intrusions show Beijing has adopted the concept of “might is right” which he said is a clear violation of UNCLOS and the UN Charter.
“The compulsory dispute mechanism of UNCLOS is one of the greatest advances in international law when UNCLOS was signed in 1982. Under UNCLOS, “right is might,” Carpio said in his speech at the Stratbase ADRI virtual Foreign Policy Forum on Maintaining a Rules-Based Maritime Order Wednesday.
“Unfortunately, in the South China Sea, the People’s Republic of China has sought to overturn this `right is might’ concept upside down by claiming almost the entire South China Sea in glaring violation of UNCLOS,” he added.
Carpio, who was instrumental in the country’s historic case against China before the arbitral tribunal, said the nations of the world must unite to strongly push back China.
“Otherwise, if China succeeds in taking the South China Sea, or in making the South China Sea its own national lake, denying the application of UNCLOS in the South China Sea, then UNCLOS will collapse for other naval powers will also seize their new seas as their own possession,” he said.
If this happens, he said, it would result in the demise of UNCLOS and the rules-based maritime order. — With Ashzel Hachero, Victor Reyes, Wendell Vigilia and Reuters
Carpio renewed his call for the Philippines to conduct joint naval patrols with the US and other like-minded countries in the WPS to protect the country’s maritime interests.
