THE China Coast Guard (CCG) harassed a Philippine government vessel near Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea where the Chinese installed a floating barrier to prevent Filipino fishermen from going inside the feature, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday.
Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea (WPS), made the statement a day after the completion of a five-day patrol at the shoal, about 120 nautical miles from Zambales.
The shoal has been under the control of China since 2012 after a standoff with Philippine government vessels.
The floating barrier that the Chinese installed consisted of small buoys, ropes, and nets.
“This is for the Filipino fishermen to be prevented in entering the shoal… small buoys, ropes, and nets,” Tarriela said.
BRP Datu Bankaw, a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) jointly manned by PCG and BFAR personnel, was sent to the shoal also to distribute relief goods and fuel subsidy to some 54 Filipino fishing boats in the area. On board the vessel were members of the media.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
China claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Beijing seized Scarborough Shoal in 2012 and forced fishermen from the Philippines to travel further for smaller catch.
Beijing allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the uninhabited shoal when bilateral relations were improving markedly under then-President Rodrigo Duterte. But tension has mounted again since his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, took office last year.
The 300-meter floating barrier was discovered by PCG and BFAR personnel at the southeast portion of the shoal last Friday, Tarriela said.
“Three CCG’s rigid hull inflatable boats and Chinese Maritime Militia’s service boat installed the floating barrier upon arrival of the BFAR vessel in the vicinity of the shoal,” Tarriela said in a statement.
“It was reported by the Filipino fishermen that the CCG vessels usually install floating barriers whenever they monitor a large number of Filipino fishermen in the area,” he also said.
Tarriela also said four CCG vessels “initiated a series of 15 radio challenges in an attempt to drive away the BFAR vessel and FFBs (Filipino fishing boats).”
“The CCG crew alleged that the presence of the BFAR vessel and Filipino fishermen violated international law and the domestic laws of the People’s Republic of China,” he said.
Tarriela said the BFAR vessel responded to all the radio challenges and emphasized it was merely carrying out a routine patrol within the country’s territorial sea.
“Notably, upon realizing the presence of media personnel onboard the BFAR vessel, the CCG vessels maintained a safe distance and moved away,” he added.
Tarriela said the PCG and the BFAR condemns the installation of the floating barrier which he said “prevents Filipino fishing boats from entering the shoal and depriving them of their fishing and livelihood activities.”
‘DANGEROUS MANEUVERS’
In a press briefing, Tarriela said two of the four CCG vessels in the area “conducted dangerous maneuvers and shadowing against the BFAR vessel.”
He said the two other CCG vessels guarded the southeast entrance of the shoal.
“These are also the Chinese Coast Guard vessels… that chased a Filipino fishing vessel during the third or fourth day of our maritime patrol,” he said.
Tarriela said Filipino fishermen have not been going inside the shoal because the China Coast Guard installs floating barriers if they are seen near the area by Chinese.
“At the same time, they are being driven away by the China Guard Coast’s rigid hull inflatable boats every time they go near (the shoal),” said Tarriela.
Tarriela said the PCG did not remove the floating barrier. He said they just documented the actions of the Chinese and will leave it to the Department of Justice and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) as to legal and diplomatic actions that may be taken.
Asked if they are going to remove the floating barrier, Tarriela said: “We have yet to seek guidance from the national government. It’s for the DFA and the national government to give guidance to the Coast Guard what will be our next action.”
‘NOT TRUE’
Tarriela said the recent patrol belied reports that Philippine government vessels cannot go near the shoal.
“In this particular case, we showed our media friends that we are even anchored at a distance of 300 meters away (from the shoal)… It’s not true that we lost Bajo de Masinloc because we were able to anchor there that close,” said Tarriela.
“Second, (this shows that) our Filipino fishermen can fish at the immediate surroundings of Bajo de Masinloc and reports about our fishermen not able to fish there is not also true,” said Tarriela.
Tarriela said BFAR personnel placed at around 168 tons the fish catch of the 54 Filipino fishing vessels in the area at the time.
“The truth is they cannot enter the lagoon of Bajo de Masinloc but if we’re talking about fishing, they can still fish (at the immediate vicinity of the shoal),” he said.
He said latest patrol showed that the Chinese are “deliberately ignoring international law and the decision of the 2012 Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated China’s excessive claim in the South China Sea.
“The mere fact that they are still claiming Bajo de Masinloc lagoon as if it belongs to them, they installed floating barrier there, that is illegal and illegitimate action from the People’s Republic of China.
‘REMOVE BARRIERS’
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri asked PCG to remove all structures located within the country’s exclusive economic zone “not just to assert our sovereign rights” but to ensure the safety of everyone who will pass by that area.
He said China, which “supposedly placed” the buoys, has no right to put “any structures” with the Philippines’ EEZ.
“Therefore, I would like to request our Philippine Coast Guard to immediately cut and remove all these illegal structures located at our West Philippine Sea not just to assert our sovereign rights to the area but to protect our fishermen from any possible accidents that may arise from these illegal structures,” he said.
Sen. Francis Tolentino said it is illegal to put floating barriers just for China to assert its claims in areas within the country’s EEZ.
He said Bajo de Masinloc is 120 nautical miles from Zambales and that Beijing should not bar local fishermen from fishing in Philippine territory.
“It is against international law to put floating barriers and these should be immediately be removed,” Tolentino said in Pilipino.
‘VIOLATION’
Rep. France Castro (PL, ACT) condemned China’s installation of floating barriers in Scarborough Shoal, saying it is a “blatant violation of our country’s sovereignty and an infringement on the rights and livelihood of our Filipino fishermen.”
“The installation of these barriers is a clear display of China’s aggressive and expansionist actions in the West Philippine Sea. It is a deliberate attempt to assert dominance and control over the maritime resources that rightfully belong to the Filipino people,” said Castro, a member of the militant Makabayan bloc at the House.
Castro urged the government to file a diplomatic protest over China’s actions, seek international support, and exhaust all available legal means to protect the rights and interests of our fishermen.
“The Philippine government must prioritize the welfare and well-being of our fishermen. We must ensure that they can freely and safely access Scarborough Shoal, as well as other traditional fishing grounds in the West Philippine Sea,” she Castro.
RULES-BASED ORDER
Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said adhering to and respecting international law will keep the Indo-Pacific region “free and open” as he stressed Manila is prepared to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and sovereign rights in the WPS.
Manalo’s remarks before the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City on Saturday (early Sunday morning Manila time) came amid increasing tension in the WPS between Manila and Beijing.
Last month, the DFA lodged a diplomatic protest against Beijing after its coast guard vessels blocked and turned its water cannons on Philippine vessels doing resupply runs to a small detachment of Filipino troops in Ayungin Shoal.
Last week, Philippine military and coast guard officials accused Chinese vessels of harvesting corals and destroying reefs in the Rozul (Iroquois) Reef and Escoda Shoal in the WPS.
Manalo stressed that the preservation of a rules-based global order is the responsibility of every nation, adding that all states, big or small, must adhere and respect international law.
“Its present and future rest on the predictability and stability of international law, which safeguards the rights of all states. It multilateralism must endure, all states must adhere to the rule of law,” Manalo told the UNGA as he stressed that the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) that junked China’s sweeping claim in the South China Sea (SCS), including the WPS, under its so-called nine dash line is already part of “international law.”
“Adherence to international law contributes to keeping the Indo-Pacific region, with ASEAN at the center, free, open, stable and peaceful,” he said.
China still refuses to acknowledge the ruling and has been insisting on bilateral talks with the other claimant countries to resolve the maritime dispute, even while pressing on with its reclamation and other aggressive activities in the area.
Last Friday, Manalo held talks with US Secretary of State counterpart Antony Blinken, and Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko.
The three, according to the DFA, discussed ways to deepen trilateral cooperation on enhancing security cooperation, including on maritime domain awareness, humanitarian and disaster relief efforts, energy, infrastructure and digital economy.
Washington and Tokyo are two of Manila’s staunchest allies, especially on the WPS issue. — With Raymond Africa, Wendell Vigilia, Ashzel Hachero and Reuters
