THE government yesterday debunked China’s claim that it has seized control of three cays near a Philippine-occupied island in the West Philippine Sea in the South China Sea.
National Security Council Assistant Director General and spokesman Jonathan Malaya said government teams went to these features last Sunday and found no Chinese occupying the Pag-asa Cay-1, Pag-asa Cay-2, and Pagasa Cay-3.
“There is no truth whatsoever to the claim of the Chinese Coast Guard that the Pag-asa cays have been seized. The facts on the ground do not support this statement coming from the Chinese Coast Guard,” Malaya told a press conference.
Last Thursday, the Global Times reported that the Chinese Coast Guard “enforced maritime management and exercised sovereign jurisdiction” at the cays, which the Chinese call as Tiexian Jiao, in mid-April.
The Chinese media posted a picture of four Chinese personnel holding a Chinese flag while at one of the cays “to assert sovereignty.” It said the Chinese also cleared the cays of plastic bottles, wooden sticks, and other debris.
On Sunday, wire reports quoted Chinese state broadcaster CCTV as reporting that the Chinese Coast Guard landed at the features to “exercise sovereignty and jurisdiction.”
The cays are located about two to three nautical miles from Pag-asa Island, the largest among the nine West Philippine Sea features being occupied by Filipino troops.
The 37.2-hectare Pag-asa Island is about 280 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Princesa City. It serves as the seat of government of Palawan’s Kalayaan town.
Malaya urged China to stop making such “alarmist statements” and “irresponsible announcements,” which he said are “intended to create panic in the Philippines” and bring no benefit to any nation.
“We also ask them to stop all provocative activities in the West Philippine Sea, to uphold international law, and to help reduce tensions in the West Philippine Sea at this time,” he said.
“We ask them to stop their provocative actions which are not helpful to either the Philippines or the People’s Republic of China,” he added.
Malaya said China’s claim about the seizure of the cays was part of its “gray zone operations.”
He said the NSC is used to such disinformation by China.
“But to the public who will wake up today to news that a feature in the West Philippine Sea has been illegally seized by the Chinese Coast Guard is an alarming development, right? So we’re here to debunk that and to assure the public that we have not lost the Pag-asa cays,” he said.
“There is no occupation of the Pag-asa cays yesterday and we continue to monitor and until today, there is no seizure or illegal occupation of those cays,” he added.
Malaya said the cays are within the territorial sea of Pag-asa Island, therefore, the Philippines exercises not just sovereign rights, not just jurisdiction, we exercise sovereignty over the three cays.”
He reiterated President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s policy that not a single inch of the country’s territory should be lost to another country.
He said any affront to the Philippine rights over the cays “is similar to an affront to the sovereignty of all other places in the mainland of the Philippine archipelago.”
On the possibility of the Philippines occupying the cays and build structures there, Malaya said the 2002 Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea prohibits claimants from occupying unoccupied features in the West Philippine Sea.
“The status quo is to be maintained so the Philippines, of course, adheres to that declaration. We adhere to both the spirit and the letter of that declaration,” he said.
Navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said China’s “deceptive messaging” was meant to divert the people’s attention from recent issues, including the ongoing 19-day Balikatan exercise between the US and the Philippine armed forces, which commenced last April 21.
The Balikatan exercise, Trinidad said, is meant to improve the readiness of both countries in responding to all forms of threats.
“In the information domain, this incident is the latest of trying to shape the narrative to draw the picture away from what is happening in Balikatan, what is happening in the maritime domain with the drones, what is happening across the political landscape,” he said.
Trinidad said the Armed Forces is closely monitoring the country’s maritime domain, not only at the Pag-asa cays but other contested features in the West Philippine Sea.
“There were no (Chinese) presence whatsoever monitored when we sent the inter-agency teams to (the cays),” he said, adding that any action that go beyond the status quo is considered a “red line,” specially when it comes to land reclamation and constructions.
He said the cays are small features which cannot sustain life.
“But on that cay will rest our sovereignty, on that cay will rest the effort of every Filipino,” adding that the military will defend the cays which he said are important just like the other features in the West Philippines.
Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela presented videos and pictures of the cays to belie the Chinese claim they have gained control of the cays.
“We can totally debunk the lying and disinformation of the People’s Republic of China that they have already occupied the Pag-asa cays,” said Tarriela.
He said the government have to deny the Chinese allegations, noting that if these lies are not corrected, “that will be the time that they (Chinese) are going to operationalize such disinformation.”
Tarriela said the Chinese government is good at “twisting factual narratives, spreading disinformation, distorting facts.”
“Such narrative (of Chinese seizure of the cays) is actually a lie. And we have provided photos and videos to tell the Filipino people that the national government is doing everything that is necessary for us to make sure that we’re not going to lose an inch of our territory,” he said.
In a statement on Sunday night, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea said personnel from the AFP, PCG and PNP-Maritime Group were sent to the cays on Sunday morning.
“This coordinated effort involved the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine National Police-Maritime Group, reinforcing Philippine authorities’ routine and lawful exercise of maritime domain awareness and jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea,” the NTF-WPS said.
The task force said four teams were deployed to the cays on rubber boats, with the first two teams dispatched to Cay-1.
The third and fourth teams were deployed to Cay 2 and Cay 3, respectively.
“During the operation, the teams observed the illegal presence of China Coast Guard 5102, approximately 1,000 yards east of Cay-2 as well as seven Chinese maritime militia vessels near Cay-2 and Cay-3,” the NTF-WPS said.
It said the operation reflects the government’s “unwavering dedication and commitment” to uphold the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.
“Moreover, this routine inter-agency operation reinforces the Philippines’ commitment to safeguarding its maritime domain, adhering to the international law, and ensuring peace and stability in the region,” the NTF-WPS added.
Tarriela, in the press conference yesterday, said Chinese Coast Guard 5102 deployed a rigid-hull inflatable boat but it did not land at Cay-2.
“They (Chinese on board the boat) were just taking photos and videos of the activities of the members of the (Philippine) team two while we were inspecting the immediate surrounding of Cay-2,” he said.
Tarriela said the teams completed their mission in about three hours.
Palace press officer Claire Castro dismissed China’s claim that it has seized Sandy Cay, citing Malaya’s report that a “routine and lawful exercise” or an inter-agency maritime operation was conducted by Philippine maritime authorities in the three sandbars.
“Pinasisinungalingan po nila na ito po ay na-seize ng China (They are denying that it was seized by China),” sh e said.
Castro also reassured the public that the Philippines would continue to fight for its sovereign and maritime rights over the WPS.
“Asahan po natin ang wala pong alinlangan dedikasyon ng Pangulong Marcos na ipaglaban ang ating karapatan sa ating teritoryo, sa ating maritime rights lalung-lalo na po dito sa West Philippine Sea (We can expect the unwavering dedication of President Marcos to fight for our rights in our territory, our maritime rights, especially here in the West Philippine Sea),” she said.
China’s foreign ministry said the Chinese coast guard landing on Sandy Cay was aimed at countering the Philippines’ “illegal landing and other provocations.”
“Sandy Cay is part of the Spratly Islands, and China was working to protect the country’s rights,” ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo yesterday appealed to countries to refrain from acts that could undermine the negotiation for a Code of Conduct to lessen tension in the disputed South China Sea.
“We are looking at developments like this because we are very much committed to observing the Declaration of Conduct. In fact, we are negotiating the Code of Conduct,” Manalo told NewsWatch Philippines.
“So, we hope countries, can at least minimize or refrain from taking actions such as this,” he added, referring to China’s activities.
Earlier, Manalo said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China remained committed to forging a Code of Conduct to lessen tension in the disputed South China Sea by 2026 even as he acknowledged that much works remains to be done before such an agreement can be finalized.
Manalo said the DFA is closely monitoring developments in the area, adding that diplomatic actions, such as the filing of a diplomatic protest as what some senators have called for, are still under discussion.
FLIGHT DECK OPERATIONS
Trinidad yesterday said China’s Shandong aircraft carrier and another Chinese warship conducted flight deck operations off Burgos town in Ilocos Norte.
The aircraft carrier was first monitored off the country’s northern coast last April 22, moving west to east.
On April 25, Trinidad said the aircraft was sighted moving east to west. The next day, the aircraft was seen in the company of another Chinese warship “and they were conducting flight deck operations” some 120 nautical northwest of Burgos town in Ilocos Norte.
Trinidad said the activity of the Chinese aircraft carrier cannot be considered an interference to the ongoing Balikatan exercise.
Trinidad admitted, though, that the military was concerned over the Chinese presence, “that’s why we monitor them closely.” – With Jocelyn Montemayor, Ashzel Hachero Raymond Africa, Wendell Vigilia, and Reuters
