China's act a reflection of 'weakness'

MANILA, Philippines - The Chinese Coast Guard recently used water cannons to repel Filipino fishermen in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, an area well within the Philippines’ territory, the military said Monday.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista said the harassment occurred January 27 and was reported to authorities by local fishermen.

“There remains to be Chinese Coast Guard vessels in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal and also foreign fishing vessels and there are Filipino fishing vessels,” Bautista said in a forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines in Makati.

“There was an incident last Jan. 27 wherein the Chinese Coast Guard tried to drive away Filipino fishing vessels to the extent of using water cannons,” he added.

Bautista could not provide additional details of the incident, which took days before the Philippines and China engaged in a fresh word war over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute.

President Aquino previously likened China’s aggressive acts to Nazi Germany’s demands for land before the World War II, prompting the Chinese media to call him an “amateurish and “ignorant” politician.

Panatag Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, is located124 nautical miles from the nearest point in Zambales.

China started to make its presence felt in the area on April 10, 2012, when surveillance ships from Beijing prevented the Philippine Navy from arresting Chinese fishermen who had poached endangered marine species.

Bautista stressed that the Philippines would not resort to acts that would cause tensions in the region.

“First of all, it’s our policy to avoid confrontation. We do not want any confrontation with anybody,” the military chief said. 

“We want to resolve the issue through peaceful (means) and that is through international arbitration,” he added.

AFP: China’s act reflected weakness

Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said China’s action against unarmed fishermen reflected a weakness.

“Where does weakness lie? Does it lie on our fishermen or the Chinese Coast Guard firing water cannons at us? It lies on Chinese Coast Guard,” Zagala said.

“They (fishermen) are just doing their livelihood. Why shoot them like that? Why do you we have to assert yourself that way?” he added.

Zagala said the incident poses a threat to freedom of navigation in the area.

“There is already a threat of freedom of navigation when it comes to what’s going on in our territorial waters. It’s very important that freedom of navigation, freedom to do economic activities like fishing is protected,” he said. 

Zagala, nevertheless, stressed that China’s aggressions should be addressed through peaceful means.

“There are more Filipino fishermen than that of the Chinese Coast Guard. We should just continue with our lives, our livelihood, and freedom to navigate especially in our own territorial waters,” he said.

“We will not answer the aggression of the Chinese Coast Guard with our own aggression.”

When asked how local fishermen could heed his advice given China’s tendency to act aggressively, Zagala said: “I have no answer to you on that. I still have to get advice from higher officials.”

China is claiming virtually the whole West Philippine Sea, including areas that are within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. It has been conducting maritime patrols in Panatag Shoal, Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, Recto (Reed) Bank and Panganiban (Mischief) Reef off Palawan.