PHL TO PROTEST 'BULLYING' INCIDENT AT
SCARBOROUGH SHOAL
MANILA, APRIL 30, 2012 (TRIBUNE) By
Michaela P. del Callar - The government said it will protest an aggressive act
by a Chinese government ship that it claimed to have endangered two Philippine
Coast Guard (PCG) vessels involved in a nearly three-week tense standoff at a
shoal in the South China Sea where Manila has territorial jurisdiction.
Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez yesterday said the Philippines "will
bring this incident to the attention of Chinese authorities."
President Aquino also dismissed as pure rhetoric recent warnings by Chinese
officials of decisive action against the Philippines to reinforce Beijing's
claim over the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
"We don't think that at this stage they (China) will engage in any military
activities," Aquino told reporters.
"And we... have been geared towards de-escalating the situation."
He said both countries stand to lose if armed confrontation erupted over the
disputed shoal, a potential Asian flashpoint where vessels from both sides were
locked in a two-week stand-off that began on April 8.
China claims all of the South China Sea as a historic part of its territory,
even waters close to the coasts of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian
countries.
Aquino said he had issued "overriding instructions" to his military "not to
escalate the issue" and dismissed Chinese warnings as "not indicative" of
Beijing's "real intentions."
The Scarborough Shoal is only about 230 kilometers from the main island of
Luzon, while the the nearest Chinese land mass is Hainan province 1,200
kilometres to the northwest, according to naval maps.
Tensions began when Chinese maritime vessels blocked the Philippine Navy from
arresting the crews of eight fishing vessels which had entered the area.
Both sides accused each other of violating maritime laws, and on Saturday the
Philippines alleged that a Chinese vessel veered dangerously close to its
vessels in the area.
Amid the stalemate, the Philippines said it would seek more military
assistance from its ally, the United States, to help it build a "credible
defense posture" in securing its sovereignty.
China had earlier warned the Philippines against "internationalizing" the
issue, and its state media had quoted defence and military officials as saying
they were prepared to fight for their territory.
PCG Commandant Vice Admiral Edmund Tan reported to the Department of Foreign
Affairs over the weekend "a bullying action" by a Chinese FLEC 310 vessel, one
of about nine Chinese civilian ships seen in the Scarborough shoal, which is
composed of two surveillance ships and seven fishing vessels.
Hernandez said the maneuvers by the Chinese vessel posed a danger to the
Philippine vessels and is seen as a violation of the International Regulations
for Preventing Collisions of Ships at Sea (COLREGs).
The Chinese vessel's reported harassment came two days before a crucial
meeting between the Philippines and the United States where both sides are to
discuss Washington's wider presence in the country.
Discussions to be led by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin for the Philippine side and Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton and Defense Chief Leon Panetta for the US would also firm up
Manila's request for added defense capabilities to secure its territorial
borders, particularly in the South China Sea.
Amid China's show of force, Hernandez said the Philippines "will continue to
stand up and hold our ground."
"Bajo de Masinloc is Philippine territory and in Philippine waters," he said,
referring to the shoal's local name.
Tensions between the two nations escalated this month when Manila accused
Chinese fishermen of intruding and conducting illegal fishing in the
Scarborough. Philippine authorities were prevented by two Chinese government
vessels from arresting the poachers, which eventually led to the standoff on
April 10.
The shoal, where China is also asserting ownership, is located 140 nautical
miles from Zambales province and had been under it control.
China protested Manila's claim, saying the shoal, a ring-shaped coral reef
that has several rocks encircling a lagoon, had always belonged to them on the
basis of historical entitlement.
Manila, however, belittled China's assertion, saying historical claim alone
can not be a basis for ownership.
Moreover, it said, a United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea rule
which gives maritime nations the right to exploit, explore and develop waters
and features within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone further
bolsters its argument that Scarborough is part of Philippine territory. Hainan
province, China's nearest land mass, is 472 nautical miles away from the shoal.
As of Sunday, two Chinese ships are facing off with two Philippine vessels in
the contested area. There are also fishing boats from both sides — seven from
China and three from the Philippines, while an unidentified vessel was also
spotted nearby.
China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, which is home to more than
200 islands, rocks, reefs and coral outcrops, even as it overlaps with other
nation's maritime boundaries.
Competing claims to the sea, a strategic waterway believed to be sitting atop
huge gas and oil deposits, by the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei
and Taiwan have sparked occasional violence and now regarded as a potential
regional flashpoint for armed conflict.
Malacañang should not pin too much hope on assistance from the United States
government in seeking a resolution to the continuing tension with China and it
should instead enlist the support of neighboring countries in the Association of
South East Asian Nations (Asean), Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said yesterday.
The senator said government officials should not rely heavily on the result
of the meeting between Philippines and US officials in Washington.
Santiago urged the Executive, during a radio interview, to work on getting
its allies in the Asean to push for the early adoption of a binding Code of
Conduct in the South China Sea.
"We should have a binding regional Code of Conduct," she said, pointing out,
that the existing Asean declaration on such is non-binding.
Santiago backed President Aquino's efforts to enlist the support of other
Asean leaders whose countries could also suffer from Chinese bullying tactics
saying, "We must keep telling our Asean friends (that) today, China is doing
this to us, tomorrow, it will be you."
The senator said both China and the United States are looking to exploit rich
marine resources in West Philippine Sea territories that are well within the
country's 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
It is for this reason that she will call on the upper chamber to to pass a
resolution firmly asserting the Philippines' sovereign rights over the disputed
Scarborough Shoal.
She said the Department of Foreign Affairs should then send the resolution to
China "because that is how the game is played: you have to keep asserting your
rights."
According to Santiago, "the real aim of China is not to claim the Scarborough
Shoal as part of its territory but to beat others in exploiting the natural
resources in those seas." She added that the US, on the other hand, owes China
big time.
"China is proposing that we jointly exploit (the area) but only China has the
technology to do that. So, the DFA should not lose sight that China wants to
beat us on this," the Senator added.
At the same time, Santiago warned that the DFA should also not rely heavily
on the US for assistance in repelling Chinese bullying tactics in the contested
territories.
"China would not fire at us because it will be condemned by the world. The
US, for its part, has not said anything against China (bullying) because they
both just want to exploit (our marine resource and energy deposits)."
She said China is not really bullying the Philippines "but only entrapping us
in our belief that US will come to our aid but both only wanted to exploit our
resources."
Amid the provocations from the Chinese ship over the weekend, the military's
Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) yesterday stressed that government authorities
will continue to observe the rules of engagement in dealing with the standoff.
Nolcom chief Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara said that he has not received reports
that PCG vessels were "swamped" by the highly-advanced Chinese fishery law
enforcement command ship or FLEC-310, one of the nine Chinese ships monitored to
be in Panatag Shoal.
Alcantara, however, assured that the military, particularly the Philippine
Navy, is ready to assist the PCG, which has BRP Pampanga now in Panatag Shoal
alongside Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ship MCS-3001, in any
eventuality. Angie M. Rosales, Mario J. Mallari, AFP
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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