MANILA, Philippines — There’s no way the “barbaric” Chinese can provoke Filipinos into firing the first shot that could ignite a deadly confrontation at sea or worse, Philippine Navy spokesman Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said yesterday.
In an interview with reporters, Trinidad said China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel behaved like pirates and barbarians when they disrupted a resupply mission for troops on BRP Sierra Madre through dangerous high-speed ramming attacks and use of bladed weapons, apparently in a bid to provoke the Filipinos into fighting back.
The Chinese even forcibly boarded Philippine boats, leaving several Filipinos injured during a scuffle.
Trinidad said that while the CCG had missile boats, the Chinese apparently did not intend to not use them because they “would like to push us to fire the first shot, yun ang labanan diyan (that’s how they do things there).”
He said the military is now back to the drawing board to prepare for another rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to the Ayungin Shoal, still mindful of China’s scheme to push the Philippines to make the mistake of firing the first shot.
The Navy spokesman said the Chinese also stole seven high-powered firearms, punctured the rigid haul inflatable boats of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, stole personal cellular phones, smashed communications equipment, and destroyed overboard motors.
“What they did was piracy, pambabastos, panggagago, barbaric. I call them a band of barbarians and in the first place they have no right to wear the uniform,” Trinidad said.
“Coast guard men are supposed to be responsible for safety of life at sea. Their actions endanger life at sea. It does not speak well of a country that want to be a global power,” he said.
Trinidad said other countries that had witnessed or become aware of the June 17 incident should now be very careful with dealing with China as the Chinese would not hesitate to commit barbarity against other nationalities.
He said the military is now doing more planning to put in place changes that would ensure the success of subsequent RORE missions.
“We have to understand what happened at the ground level is just a microcosm of the bigger picture. The bigger picture is China has encroached into our EEZ and into the EEZ of other countries to their 10-dash-line. That’s the bigger picture,” Trinidad said, noting that China’s expansive claims had already been debunked by the 2016 Arbitral Award.
“Now how do we ensure that this will not happen again? We cannot because they dictate their actions. What we could do is to prepare our men, equip them appropriately. If you noticed, they mismatch. We abide by the rules, our approach is always rules-based, our approach is guided by the rules of engagement, our approach is aboveboard, above ground, which everyone can see,” he added.
He maintained that Filipinos tasked to protect the country’s territorial waters would exercise restraint to the fullest.
“Their actions are escalatory but this will always be below the threshold of conflict. This will not erupt into a firefight because the Chinese thought is to win without fighting. So we have to understand that. So gagawa siya ng mga paraan na ikaw ang magkakamali. So they’ll devise a plan to make us commit a mistake. If that’s case, what’s your protection? All your actions should be within the bounds of law,” he explained.
Force, not authorized
Trinidad emphasized that the Philippine Navy personnel involved in last Monday’s confrontation had been instructed that use of force to accomplish the mission “is not authorized unless in self defense.”
In a statement, the PCG said its commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan bestowed the “Distinguished Coast Guard Cross and Ribbon” on the crew of its two multi-role response vessels (MRRVs) BRP Cabra and BRP Bagacay.
The simple awarding was held at Buliluyan Port in Bataraza, Palawan last Wednesday.
The two Coast Guard vessels have been providing security assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)’s during its resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre aground in Ayungin Shoal.
“I think we did our part. We provided rescue activity required, we provided the medical aid, and the towing of boats which were destroyed. Our role was limited to that,” Gavan said.
He stressed the PCG “will remain calm, professional and determined in pursuing the peaceful and rules-based order in this part of the world.
“We will leverage the strength of the PCG which is humanitarian, unarmed service,” he pointed out.
“We will continue to do so to make sure the South China Sea, or the West Philippine Sea, will remain conducive for Filipinos to live in accordance with our own way of life,” he added.
In a post on X, PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela said China will continue asserting its claims in the West Philippine Sea whether the next elected president is pro-Beijing or not.
“Whether the elected president is pro-Beijing or takes a stance against Chinese aggression, the People’s Republic of China will persist in advancing their creeping invasion of the West Philippine Sea,” he wrote on his X account.
“A pro-Beijing president would choose to remain silent about it, while a patriotic president would expose the illegal presence, provocative actions, and bullying tactics, similar to President @bongbongmarcos who employs transparency in addressing these issues,” he said, mentioning the Chief Executive’s X account.
The PCG has been advocating transparency in its campaign to deter Chinese encroachment.
“If an administration stands up to China, the latter will apply pressure and escalate tensions. China then decreases tensions deliberately when a Beijing-friendly government is in power,” he said.
Meanwhile, Japan Self Defense Force (JSDF) Chief of Joint Staff Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida has declared support for the Philippines concerning the recent incident in Ayungin Shoal.
“JSDF always stands on the side of AFP, and JSDF will deepen its cooperation with Philippines and like-minded countries,” Yoshida was quoted as telling AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. during a teleconference.
Brawner, for his part, expressed his gratitude to the JSDF for its continued support for the AFP.
“We are very thankful for the support that Japan is giving us. Japan was one of the first countries that gave its support condemning the actions of CCG,” he said. - Ghio Ong, Evelyn Macairan