Philippines protests China aggression vs BFAR vessel

MANILA, Philippines —  The Philippines lodged yesterday a diplomatic protest against China over the latest aggressive acts of its naval and coast guard ships, which fired water cannons and rammed Philippine vessels in the vicinity of Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea.

Manila protested the dangerous acts by the China Coast Guard and Chinese Navy against Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessels operating in the country’s waters on Wednesday.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry called its vessels’ action “justified, lawful, professional and restrained.”

Three PCG and BFAR vessels were on routine patrol Philippine waters when several Chinese coast guard and navy ships approached and staged “aggressive actions.”

“It’s very clear. I mean, we were within our legal rights. And Japan, of course, has supported us on that and many other countries,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said.

“Certainly, we don’t understand why China again is repeating these actions which are clearly illegal,” he added.

Japanese Ambassador Kazuya Endo expressed serious concern over repeated dangerous actions of China.

“We oppose any actions that escalate the tensions in the region and we’re very much committed to the rule of law and it’s quite clear the position of the Japanese government,” Endo said.

The PCG also reported that four of its vessels deployed near Escoda Shoal in the West Philippine Sea also encountered aggressive actions from several Chinese vessels Wednesday morning.

Manila has filed a total of 193 diplomatic protests since July 1, 2022 or the beginning of the Marcos administration.

For this year alone, 60 diplomatic protests had been filed  against China, according to the DFA.

Global outrage

China’s latest show of aggression has again sparked international condemnation.

The United States, European Union, Japan, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, France, Canada, Germany, Finland and Norway have issued statements expressing serious concern over the latest incident.

New Zealand said China’s actions and presence of the latter’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships during the incident were “deeply worrying.”

“These latest dangerous actions by the Chinese Coast Guard towards the Philippines are deeply worrying, as is the presence of PLAN vessels. Water cannons and contact between vessels risk safety at sea and threaten regional stability and international law,” the New Zealand embassy said in a post on X. “We again firmly call for peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with UNCLOS,” it added.

The European Union was “very concerned” about China’s repeated aggressive actions that violated the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“Very concerned by China’s aggressive actions against Philippine government vessels near Scarborough Shoal and Sabina Shoal on 4 December,” EU Ambassador Massimo Santoro wrote on X.

“Such behavior clearly runs counter to UNCLOS and international maritime safety regulations,” he said.

France said it is renewing its “call for respect of the (UNCLOS) and freedom of navigation.”

“We oppose any threat or use of force contrary to international law and recall the importance of resolving disputes through dialogue. We also call on the decision rendered by the Arbitral Court on July 12, 2016,” the French embassy said in a post on X.

“Expressing my concern about these dangerous maneuvers and call for respect for international law,” Finland Ambassador Saija Nurimen wrote on X.

British Ambassador Laure Beaufils said China’s dangerous actions against Philippine vessels “raise tensions and the risk of miscalculation.”

Philippines won’t send Navy ship

Despite the involvement of the Chinese navy in last Wednesday’s incident in the West Philippine Sea, the Philippines is still not sending Navy ships to deal with such problem.

“If we send the Navy there, if it is navy to navy, things would escalate and we do not know what will happen next if ever there is a misunderstanding, misinformation. And of course there will be tensions, both are war ships, so we might as well put our navy vessels far away but we are trying to monitor their activities,” National Maritime Council (NMC) spokesman Alexander Lopez, a retired Navy admiral, said.

He admitted that the participation of the PLA vessels is something new as they were just in the background during previous incidents.

Lopez said President Marcos has been clear that all disputes and conflicts should be resolved through peaceful and diplomatic means.

“If war ships are sent there, it sends a chilling effect, especially to civilian vessels. The area is militarized,” Lopez said.

Lopez said the activities and mere presence of the Chinese navy ships in the area are illegal under international law.

“They want to push the narrative that they control the area,” the NMC spokesman said. “But in truth and in fact, that is wrong.”

Lopez expressed hope that tensions would not escalate in the West Philippine Sea despite the latest actions of China. He also thanked the 12 countries that have expressed support for the Philippines, including the US, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan.

“These (statements) prove that we have a common understanding, common sympathy, that we share the same thoughts on international order,” Lopez said.

“The target of the narrative of China is its internal audience. What we’re trying to do (is) we’re trying to expose the aggressive behavior of China so the people would know, not just here but also abroad. So, that explains who is really right – the strong one who adheres to the principle that might is right or the small one whose principle is right is might,” he added.

Lopez gave an assurance that the government would continue to protect the Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea.

“We encourage our fishermen, especially with the passage of our two laws – the Maritime Zones Act and Archipelagic Zones, to go ahead and go back to our traditional fishing grounds. They are ours,” the NMC official said in Filipino.

Lopez reiterated that the government would “not cede even a single inch of our territory, even to a superpower.”

‘Vigilant presence’

The Philippine Navy vowed to maintain “vigilant presence” in the West Philippine Sea.

Philippine Navy spokesman for the WPS, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will not be deterred and is keeping watch over the situation.

“As part of our mandate, we will continue to conduct regular maritime patrols through the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force to assert our sovereignty, sovereign rights and protect our territorial waters,” he said.

Lt. Gen. Fernyl Buca, chief of the military’s Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) which has jurisdiction over the Panatag Shoal area, said his command “stands united with the National Maritime Council in condemning the hostile actions by the China Coast Guard and People’s Liberation Army Navy on December 4, 2024.”

“NOLCOM, with unwavering commitment, asserts the Philippines right to conduct maritime patrols and protect its interests, ensuring the public’s confidence in our dedication to national security,” Buca said.

Playing victim

PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela slammed China for playing victim in the recent incident.

“First of all, this is not a self-directed drama,” Tarriela said. “It is actually China that believes it can create an action-packed movie series. It is the PRC that has been using its large Coast Guard vessels to project its maritime power, often bullying smaller public vessels and harassing civilian Filipino fishermen in the process.”

Meanwhile, House Deputy Majority Leader Paolo Ortega V expressed serious concern over what he perceives as a “pattern” that shows China stirring up trouble whenever there is controversy involving the Duterte family.

“Sometimes, we do see it and it seems to be a pattern. It is just quite surprising to hear and learn that there are some disturbing news here on land, and there are some news there on the seas too,” he said. “What I’m saying is sometimes, you can’t help but think of it.” – Alexis Romero, Delon Porcalla, Mark Ernest Villeza, Michael Punongbayan