THE National Security Council (NSC) yesterday said it is now looking into the spy angle in the Chinese harassment of the military’s resupply mission to the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea last August 5.
“Yes, definitely we are looking into that because operational security of everything that we do in the Armed Forces of the Philippines is important,” NSC spokesman Jonathan Malaya told a radio interview.
On Monday, Philippine Coast Guard for the West Philippine Sea spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said an informant may have “leaked” to China the movement of the resupply mission.
Tarriela noted that six Chinese Coast Guard vessels arrived at the Philippine-occupied Ayungin Shoal one day earlier than the resupply mission to prepare for the harassment of the PCG vessels and supply boats out to deliver food and other supplies to troops at the shoal.
The PCG vessels and supply boats were subjected to repeated dangerous maneuvers and water cannoning by the six Chinese Coast Guard vessels and two Chinese maritime militias.
Because of the harassment incident, only one of the supply boats reached the shoal.
“That (spy angle) is one of the angles that we are looking into because based on our assessment China was well-prepared to block our vessels, particularly our Coast Guard vessels and our supply boats,” said Malaya.
Malaya said it is the job of other countries to have a good intelligence network.
He said China has satellites and may even have “assets” or informants in the Philippines.
“On our part, it’s our responsibility as a nation to maintain operational security. That is why I sometimes say in my interviews with media that I cannot comment because these (questions) are operational matters, we may be placing the lives of our people at risk,” said Malaya.
AFP Western Command spokesman Lt. Col. Isagani Nato agreed it was possible that China managed to monitor the movement of the resupply mission.
“Probably they have people monitoring,” said Nato. “But as of now, we have not identified anyone. We have no information as of now if the Chinese have informants in the Armed Forces.”
On the possibility that the civilian crew members of the supply boats may have divulged the details of the mission to other people before departing Palawan, Nato said: “I think that will not happen.
“Before every operation or mission, we conduct briefings and these people are well-briefed and informed of the security,” said Nato, adding the crew members are specifically told not to divulge details of the mission to other people.
Nato acknowledged there was also the possibility that the Chinese used an automatic identification system to track the movement of the resupply mission.
Likewise, he said Chinese maritime militia vessels deployed in the West Philippine Sea may have also reported the movement of the PCG vessels and resupply boats to the Chinese Coast Guard.
‘PARTLY AT FAULT’
Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito said administrations that led the government after the administration of former President Joseph Estrada are “partly at fault” for their failure to follow through on establishing a permanent base in Ayungin Shoal to advance the country’s claim over the area.
Ejercito said the past administrations somehow did not take advantage of the situation when the Chinese have yet to aggressively assert ownership of Ayungin Shoal when the BRP Sierra Madre was intentionally grounded in 1999 on orders of his father.
“Sayang, noong 1999 na establish na natin ‘yan. Parang nawalan ng follow through ‘yung pag establish natin ng territorial claim sa mga disputed territories na ‘yan. Masyado nang malapit ang China sa mga sumunod na admin, naging kaibigan sila, kinakamayan tayo pero ‘yung isang kamay sinaksak tayo at inaagaw mga teritoryo natin. So, sa mga nakaraang administration ay nakalimutan i-follow up kasi na establish na nung 1999 eh sana tinuloy-tuloy (We wasted our chance because we have already established that it is part our territory in 1999. But there was no follow through in establishing our territorial claim in those now disputed territories. China became close to the subsequent administrations, they became friends, the Chinese were shaking our hands but the other hand is stabbing us, they are grabbing our territory. The past administration forgot to follow-up our claim because we already established that in 1999),” Ejercito told radio dzBB.
He said there were plans by the Estrada administration to build permanent structures in Ayungin Shoal after BRP Sierra Madre was grounded but they did not push through after his father was ousted.
“Pero alam niyo naman kung ano nangyari. Na-udlot kasi ang ano ni President Erap eh pero at least he had the balls na sabihin na amin yan, kaya in-order ang pagsadsad ng Sierra Madre to serve as temporary base for our Philippine Marines, to establish our territory (But you know what happened, President Erap’s [Estrada’s] term was cut short. But at least he had the balls to say that that is ours. That’s why he immediately ordered the grounding of BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal to serve as temporary base for our Philippine Marines, to establish our territory),” he added.
Ejercito said the government should no longer trust the Chinese government since it is treating the Philippines as a friend and an ally but is doing otherwise on the ground.
He cited the recent trip of former President Duterte to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the earlier meeting of President Marcos with Xi.
“So, bale wala lahat ang pakikipag-usap, nakakalungkot. Sinabi pa ni former President Duterte na ‘please be kind to my country’, then after one-week binomba ng water cannon ang ating vessel… Hindi na dapat natin tinuturing na kaibigan dahil sa pambabastos sa ating bansa (All those talks with China are useless, it is disappointing. Former President Duterte even asked Xi to ‘please be kind to my country’ and then after a week our boats were water cannoned. We should not treat them as friends due to the way they treat us),” he said.
Sen. Francis Escudero said he will recommend the allocation of around P100 million in the proposed 2024 national budget for the construction of permanent structures in Ayungin Shoal.
He said the budget will be used for the construction of a pier and lodging structures for soldiers assigned in the area, and for use of the country’s fishermen and that of other nations “who might seek temporary refuge in times of bad weather.”
He said the government should act immediately in putting up the pier and lodging structures since the BRP Sierra Madre’s “greatest enemy” is nature.
“And it will soon be lost to the sea. Kinakalawang na (The ship is rusting). Our soldiers should not die from tetanus. It’s being breached. There was supposed to be an ad hoc measure. After almost one quarter, it is time for a permanent solution,” Escudero said.
Escudero said earmarking P100 million in next year’s national budget for Ayungin Shoal “will give President Marcos the budget cover should he decide to do (the construction) next year.”
“So, what will be given is the congressional authority to build more in the Ayungin (shoal),” he said, adding that under budget rules, the President can augment any item in the General Appropriations Act “so he can increase the budget as he deems fit but subject to existing rules.”
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Escudero said he does not see any reason why “anything” would prevent the government from building structures in the area.
“China built a structure even if it is contested by the Philippines. I don’t think anything prevents us from at least allocating funds in order to give the President flexibility to make the accommodations in that shoal more acceptable for our soldiers who are there instead of living in a dilapidated ship,” he said.
He said his proposal is not intended to anger China or bring the Philippines closer to the brink of war but “this is just to give the President flexibility to act as the chief architect of our foreign policy as he deems fit.”
“Otherwise, we will have to wait another year if he decides to do so sometime next year without any budget cover,” he added.
Escudero also brought up this matter to his colleagues during yesterday’s plenary session, which was backed by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
During the session, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Filipino people should be united and not be affected by China’s statements regarding the issues on the West Philippine Sea, specifically on the Philippine government’s alleged promise to tow away BRP Sierra Madre.
He said China’s statements tend to create a conflict among the Filipino people, adding that the statements were made as “psy-war” tactics.
NSP
Malaya said the National Security Policy (NSP), which was recently approved by President Marcos Jr., will focus on external concerns, including the tension in the West Philippine Sea, and veer away from the Duterte administration’s policy which focused on internal threats, including communist and terrorist threats and the drug problem.
The NSP or the national security agenda, which will be adopted this year up to 2028, was approved by the President by virtue of Executive Order 37 issued last August 10.
“The National Security Policy of the previous administration was focused on internal security. Our No. 1 threat at that time was the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front or what we call the communist terrorist group,” said Malaya.
Malaya said the previous administration also considered terrorist groups, including the Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf, as well as the problem of illegal drugs as threats to security.
Malaya said the communist movement is now on the verge of collapse, noting that the military is now placing the NPA strength at around 2,000 with only two active guerrilla fronts and about 20 weakened guerrilla fronts.
“The problem in Mindanao is not the same as before,” said Malaya, adding that Mindanao is now “relatively peaceful” due to the military operations against the terrorist groups.
Malaya said the continuing war against illegal drugs “has placed the drug problem at a manageable level.”
“If you are going look at the present National Security Policy, it’s totally different (from the previous administration). If you will read the new National Security Policy, our problem is international, external and in particular the tensions in the West Philippine Sea,” said Malaya.
The government has recorded numerous harassments by China over the past months, the most recent of which was on August 5 near the Philippine-occupied Ayungin Shoal.
Malaya said tension between China and Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait is also a concern for the Philippines, along with the Russia-Ukraine war.
“What’s happening in other countries is affecting the prices of food and oil (in the Philippines),” said Malaya.
He said the NSP was crafted in consultation with about 40 agencies. He said they also held public consultations with stakeholders before coming up with the document.
Malaya said the NSP has a “partner document” called the National Security Strategy (NSS) which contains plans on how to implement the NSP.
He said debates are ongoing on whether the NSS will be released to the public.
“We might be telegraphing our moves to China (if we are going to release it). Sometimes it better that they don’t know what we are going to do,” he said, saying that China will likely prepare for every move that the government will take in the West Philippine Sea if the NSS is made public.
He added there were initial discussions that access to the NSS will be limited to security officials only and only a redacted version will be released to the public.
In a statement, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año welcomed the President’s approval of the NSP which he said “shall serve as a guide for the entire government in addressing all national security concerns.”
Año said the national security goals identified under NSP were based on the assessment of the ever-changing strategic environment while considering the country’s socio-political values, fundamental laws and core national interests.
The national security interests are national sovereignty and territorial integrity; political stability, peace, and public safety; economic strength and solidarity; ecological balance and climate change resiliency; national identity, harmony, and culture of excellence; cyber, information, and cognitive security; and regional and international peace and solidarity.
The NSP has also identified a 15-point national security agenda. These are defense and military security; maritime, air, land and space security; border security, political security; public safety, peace and justice; health and biodiversity, economic, infrastructure and financial security; food, nutrition and water security; energy security, transportation and port security, moral and spiritual cohesiveness, socio-cultural cohesiveness, ecological balance and climate change resiliency; cyber, information and cognitive security; and regional and international peace and stability. — With Raymond Africa
