BRP Sierra Madre (PNA file photo)
MANILA – Philippine supply boats on Friday managed to complete their resupply mission to the Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre (LS-57) which is standing guard at the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) despite harassment from the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese militia vessels.
"At 0730H (7:30 a.m.) today, 10 November 2023, CCG and CMM (Chinese maritime militia) vessels recklessly harassed, blocked, and executed dangerous maneuvers in another attempt to illegally impede or obstruct a routine resupply and rotation mission to BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal. CCG vessel 5203 deployed a water cannon against Philippine supply vessel M/L Kalayaan in an illegal though unsuccessful attempt to force the latter to alter course," the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said in a statement.
The NTF-WPS said supply boats Unaizah Mae 1 (UM-1) and M/L Kalayaan were also subjected to "extremely reckless and dangerous harassment at close proximity" by CCG rigid-hulled inflatable boats inside the Ayungin Shoal lagoon as the Filipino vessels were approaching the BRP Sierra Madre.
"Nonetheless, both supply boats were able to successfully reach LS-57," NTF-WPS said.
The task force said the Philippine Embassy in Beijing has protested these incidents before the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
"The Department of Foreign Affairs has also reached out to them and conveyed our protest directly through the Maritime Communications Mechanism. We firmly insist that Chinese vessels responsible for these illegal activities leave the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal immediately," it added.
The NTF-WPS also condemned China's latest unprovoked acts of coercion and dangerous maneuvers against a legitimate Philippine rotation and resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal, which has put the lives of Filipino crew members at risk.
"The systematic and consistent manner in which the People's Republic of China carries out these illegal and irresponsible actions puts into question and significant doubt the sincerity of its calls for peaceful dialogue," it noted.
This came following the aggressive maneuvering act of the CCG and CMM vessels that hit and damaged a Filipino resupply boat and one of its escorting Philippine Coast Guard ships on Oct. 22.
The NTF-WPS said Manila has always acted responsibly, consistent with a rules-based international law, on the basis of the United Nations Conventions on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS )and the 2016 Arbitral Award.
It also noted that peace and stability cannot be achieved without due regard for the legitimate, well-established, and legally settled rights of others.
"President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. commends the courage, commitment, and dedication to duty of the men and women of the Philippine Navy-Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine Coast Guard who go on these missions, placing their lives on the line in the service of the nation," the NTF-WPS said.
It said the Philippines will not be deterred from exercising our legal rights over our maritime zones, including Ayungin Shoal which forms part of the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.
"We demand that China demonstrate that it is a responsible and trustworthy member of the international community," the NTF-WPS added.
‘Unprovoked act of hostility’
House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez condemned the CCG’s recent aggressive actions as an "unprovoked act of hostility" that directly violates Philippine sovereign rights and international law.
In a statement Friday, Romualdez also called upon the international community, especially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) neighbors and allies, to denounce these actions and stand in solidarity with the Philippines in upholding the "freedom of navigation, rule of law, and preservation of peace" in the region.
"The harassment, blocking, execution of dangerous maneuvers, and deployment of water cannons against unarmed vessels engaged in routine operations is not only dangerous but also a blatant disregard for the diplomatic processes we, as a nation, have consistently and firmly advocated for. It is a clear attempt to undermine the peace and stability of the region, and it cannot be tolerated," he said.
Romualdez demanded an immediate cessation of these intimidations, urging China to respect the 2016 Hague tribunal ruling that invalidated its expansive claims over the West Philippine Sea.
“We stand firm in our conviction that might does not make right. The Philippines, though a smaller nation, will not be cowed or bullied into submission,” he said.
The Philippines, he said, would take all necessary measures, including the filing of a diplomatic protest, to safeguard its sovereign rights and ensure the safety of its citizens.
“The Philippines seeks peace, but let it be known that we will defend our rights with steadfast determination,” Romualdez said.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said water cannons and blockades will not dampen the will and resolve of the Navy and Coast Guard to protect the country’s exclusive economic zone.
“In this latest incident, we again see China as a bully. Using size and brute strength to illegally encroach upon our EEZ and enforce a baseless right to drive away our protectors,” Zubiri said in a statement.
He added the Chinese cannot justify their aggression under the guise of “defense” when their ships are clearly and disproportionately larger and more advanced than ours.
Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda said contrary to the claim of the Chinese, the Philippine vessels and troops are not “trespassing” since they are leaning towards a flawed “nine-dash line” doctrine that has long been deemed false by the July 2016 arbitral ruling.
“We condemn the latest act of intimidation by the Chinese Coast Guard against a Philippine boat on a resupply mission to our troops stationed at the grounded BRP Sierra Madre " Legarda said in another statement. (With reports from Filane Mikee Cervantes, Leonel Abasola/PNA)
