Government shrugs off US-China naval incident

MANILA, Philippines - The reported collision of a Chinese submarine and an underwater sonar equipment of a US Navy destroyer off Subic Bay is not a cause for concern of the Philippines since the incident happened outside Philippine territorial waters, a senior defense official said yesterday.

Defense Undersecretary Alberto Valenzuela said the incident took place some 125 nautical miles off Subic and already outside Philippine jurisdiction, which is 120 nautical miles only.

He said that had the mishap happened within the 120 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), it would not have triggered an alarm because passage of foreign vessels is allowed provided they do not engage in economic exploitation.

“Even if you say that is within our EEZ, that’s a navigational route for everyone; the only thing restricted is economic exploitation, seabed, etc., fishing, so if it is (strictly) passage and you know going around there without economic exploitation. It’s free for everyone; the whole world can do this. If they have an incident wherein they collide, it’s really for them to resolve,” Valenzuela said.

“You know if that is an incident between two vessels outside our territorial waters, international law will apply… It’s no longer our concern; our concern is that we must be sure that no foreign vessels enter our territorial waters without authority granted to them. We cannot prohibit them from passing though,” he said.

Valenzuela said that he was informed that the US warship had a brief stop in Subic to refuel and for some logistical requirements before it sailed off.

Valenzuela said that based on information given to him, there was not much damage to the two vessels, as it was only a sonar array that hit the Chinese submarine.

The collision occurred in the vicinity of the disputed Scarborough Shoal located 137 miles away from Palauig, Zambales and about 123 miles west of Subic Bay.

The Philippines, China, and Taiwan are all claiming Scarborough Shoal.

Meanwhile, Malacañang said there were no security concerns over the reported collision of a Chinese submarine with underwater sonar of a US Navy destroyer off Subic Bay.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the incident reportedly happened outside the country’s territorial waters so there was not much concern on the part of the government.

“The reports said that it (collision) was an accident outside the internal waters of the country and that there was no provocation involved so we are confident that the incident can be resolved by all parties concerned,” Remonde said.

He said it was no surprise that military vessels of such powerful nations as the US and China were present in the area.

National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said the incident highlighted the sorry state of the country’s Armed Forces, particularly the Navy.

He said it was possible that foreign vessels, especially submarines have been entering the country’s waters without detection. He pointed out that maritime authorities are already hard-pressed keeping track and apprehending foreign fishing vessels, of which many have not been caught.

“We are blind under our waters,” Gonzales said in a telephone interview.

He said the poor state of the military is one of the reasons why the government is relying on strengthening ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for its security. – James Mananghaya, Paolo Romero