Senators back broader alliance after new West Philippine Sea incidents
TANAY, Rizal (Updated 3:41 p.m.) — Two leaders of the Senate defense panel condemned Thursday what they called bullying by China after one of its coast guard ships almost caused a collission with a Philippine Coast Guard vessel in the West Philippine Sea
"Our fishermen and Coast Guard have been bullied several times there. This is not only the 10th time, maybe this is more than the hundredth time that we are bullied by the Chinese," Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, Senate defense panel chairperson, told reporters in Filipino at a property he owns in Rizal province.
Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, one of the committee's vice-chairpersons, also called China's cutting off of a PCG vessel as it approached Ayungin Shoal last Sunday "too much of bullying."
Although the executive sets foreign affairs policy, the Senate has an oversight function on the executive and its concurrence is required in the ratification of treaties.
Both Estrada and Dela Rosa bemoaned that hardly anything has happened with the hundreds of diplomatic protests lodged by the Philippines with China over its increasingly aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, portions of which are inside the Philippines'
"We file diplomatic protests. We have filed hundreds of diplomatic protests, but nothing has happened," Estrada said.
Dela Rosa echoed this, noting that the diplomatic protests have largely been "ignored by China."
RELATED: Philippines, China again stress 'friendly dialogue' on South China Sea issues
Both defense panel leaders advised against escalating tension with China, though.
"We cannot afford to fire the first shot that would trigger a shooting war. My advice to our Coast Guard is to maximize their escape and evasion tactics and remember always that patience is a virtue," Dela Rosa said.
For Estrada, the Philippines must work with regional allies to address Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.
"This is too much!" Sen. JV Ejercito, Estrada's brother, said in Filipino in a separate statement.
"The Chinese government through their Coast Guard has been consistently harassing bullying our Coast Guard Vessels and fishermen," he said, adding the incidents disrespect Philippine sovereignty.
"We need to strengthen our alliance with right-thinking nations to prevent Chinese [coast guard] aggression," he said.
Hontiveros: We need broader alliance
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who is a member of the Senate defense panel, also called on the Philippines to "actively and boldly" pursue larger alliances.
"A broader alliance is a better alliance. Let us urgently work on building this bigger coalition of countries who are against China’s misbehavior, who uphold our victory at The Hague, and who want to preserve peace and stability in the region," Hontiveros said in a statement.
Hontiveros was referencing the 2016 ruling by a Hague-based tribunal that voided China’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea. Beijing continues to ignore this ruling.
Despite the perceived futility of filing diplomatic protests, Hontiveros said she still expects the Department of Foreign Affairs to file one while Malacañang condemns "in the strongest terms, China’s ceaseless intimidation, torment, and threats."
"The executive should not wait for an even worse incident in order to finally put its foot down and tell Beijing to cease and desist in this kind of aggressive action. What is the Palace waiting for? That a Filipino actually dies?" she said.
The Senate deputy minority leader also said the Philippines must seriously look into reviewing its national policy towards China to ensure that the rights and livelihood of Filipinos are defended and protected.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III, meanwhile, appealed to all parties to avoid repeating the "unfortunate" incident near Ayungin Shoal and stressed the need for all South China Sea claimants to come up with a code of conduct.
"It is to the best interest of all parties to start behaving like civilized, respectful, and reasonable neighbors. Start dialogue. Make concrete gains, no matter how small," Pimentel said.
The PCG reported that a Chinese Coast Guard vessel "carried out dangerous maneuvers" near BRP Malapascua, which was embarking on a seven-day patrol of the West Philippine Sea, as it approached Ayungin Shoal.
"This close proximity posed a significant threat to the safety and security of the Philippine vessel and its crew," the PCG said in a statement on Thursday.
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