Chinese maritime militia in Pag-asa since Saturday

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Coast Guard personnel stationed in Pag-asa spotted vessels of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China anchored in the island last Saturday, which along with the CCG-5203 and at least 42 suspected Chinese maritime militia have continued to ignore PCG warnings, an official said.

In a forum yesterday, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela said he does not want to speculate how long the Chinese vessels have been loitering in Pag-asa, but he emphasized that such is the usual action of Chinese maritime militia in Philippine waters.

Tarriela said the Chinese continuously ignore radio challenges of the PCG directed at the PLA, China Coast Guard (CCG) and maritime militia vessels still loitering in Pag-asa and violating Philippine territorial integrity.

He said China’s continued presence in Philippine waters is inconsistent with the “right of innocent passage” in violation of sovereign waters.

“Our coast guard station in Pag-asa is continuously challenging over radio saying that within 12 nautical miles of Pag-asa Island is Philippine territorial sea and we have sovereignty here. But China still maintains presence and does not respond to calls of our coast guard personnel,” Tarriela said mostly in Filipino.

“The implication of these Chinese vessels in our territorial sea in Pag-asa (is that) they are violating our sovereignty and this is inconsistent with the right of innocent passage. In short, they don’t respect the territorial integrity of this sea,” he added.

Despite China’s continued presence, Tarriela said that they will keep to their commitment to patrol the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and that vessels and personnel have been deployed to ensure the safety of Filipino fishermen.

He added that they will continue to issue radio challenges against their Chinese counterpart even if they are being ignored as he emphasized that they will continue reporting China’s aggressive actions and bullying antics.

For his part, PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio Abu told reporters that they will continue their presence in Pag-asa Island through the deployment of vessels to protect and ensure the welfare of Filipino fishermen against the CCG.

Abu said that they have also established sub-stations to monitor areas where Chinese vessels are loitering as he asked the Filipino fishermen not to worry since the “government is doing everything” in the WPS.

Reassures commitment

The Western Command (WESCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), which exercises jurisdiction over the WPS, gave reassurance of its commitment to protect the country’s territory amid China’s growing assertiveness and presence within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

WESCOM declared yesterday that it is heeding the call of President Marcos for the military to adapt and shift its focus on external defense.

Commander Ariel Joseph Coloma, WESCOM’s public affairs office chief, said the AFP remains steadfast in defending Philippine territory.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines, through the Western Command, heeds the call of our Commander-in-Chief President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on recalibrating the AFP’s focus towards external defense operations in light of the recent increase in complexity of the country’s external security environment,” he said.

“This Command remains steadfast in fulfilling its solemn duty to defend Philippine sovereignty, territorial integrity, and protecting the rights of our country and our people with vigilance, dynamism, and determination in our operations in the WPS,” he added.

Coloma said WESCOM welcomes the opportunity to work with friends and allies in patrolling Philippine waters, building on existing partnerships, forging new ones, strengthening military interoperability, and developing indigenous capabilities to respond to threats that may arise within the area of operations.

Such statement apparently refers to ongoing talks for joint sovereign maritime patrols in the WPS involving the United States, Australia and Japan, among others.

Coloma said WESCOM also appreciates and supports the ongoing efforts of the PCG in making known the realities faced in the WPS.

He said these include “incidents of harassment, coercion, and provocations that challenge our legitimate entitlements as upheld by the 2016 Arbitral Award.”

High seas treaty

The Philippines meanwhile welcomed the historic agreement on protecting marine biodiversity in international waters.

United Nations member countries finalized a text to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, a “breakthrough” after nearly two decades of talks.

The deal was struck last week at the UN Headquarters in New York, where tough negotiations on the draft treaty have been underway for the past two weeks.

The agreement reached by delegates of the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, better known by its acronym BBNJ, is the culmination of UN-facilitated talks that began in 2004.

Already being referred to as the “High Seas Treaty,” the legal framework would place 30 percent of the world’s oceans into protected areas, put more money into marine conservation, and covers access to and use of marine genetic resources.

“The Philippines welcomes the adoption of the 1st international treaty on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, proving once again the importance of multilateralism in finding common ground amid competing interests,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said in a Twitter post.

In negotiations that lasted 10 years, Manalo said the Philippines consistently underlined the principle of common heritage of humankind and importance of giving due regard to the rights and jurisdiction of adjacent coastal states and archipelagic states, which are heavily dependent on the sea.

Meanwhile, the United States government hosted a regional maritime sanctions enforcement workshop in Manila.

Organized from Feb. 28 to March 2 in Manila by the US embassy’s Export Control and Border Security Program and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, the workshop for customs, coast guard and legal officials from the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Taiwan would strengthen regional cooperation in enforcing international maritime sanctions.

The workshop trained participants on the impact of sanctions on key stakeholders, regional examples of sanctions evasion, challenges to the enforcement of sanctions, and models for implementing relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. Delegates also participated in tabletop exercises where they applied skills in investigating and preventing sanctions evasion. – Michael Punongbayan, Pia Lee-Brago