MANILA, Philippines - Six Philippine fishing boats have entered Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal amid heightened tension stemming from China’s latest activities in the area.
Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command chief Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara yesterday said the six fishing boats are inside the Panatag lagoon with an equal number of Chinese fishing vessels that were sighted last week.
“There are six Chinese fishing vessels inside the lagoon. There are also six Filipino fishing boats also in the lagoon,” Alcantara told radio station dzBB.
Also in the shoal are the Coast Guard’s BRP Pampanga and a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
On the other hand, two maritime surveillance vessels and six fishing boats constitute China’s presence in the area.
Alcantara said there have been no reports of friction or “unusual incidents” between the Philippine and Chinese fishing crews.
He said the Filipino fishermen were being secured by the Coast Guard.
Alcantara said they have not advised local fishermen to avoid Panatag Shoal.
“We did not bar them from fishing. This has been our natural fishing ground. We have been going there before. This is within our EEZ (exclusive economic zone),” Alcantara said.
“Our Coast Guard is ready to protect the interest of our fishermen in that area. There is no such incident,” Alcantara said when asked whether the fishermen are afraid to sail to the area because of the standoff.
President Aquino, however, expressed belief that China will not engage in any military conflict with regard to its claims over the shoal.
“We don’t think that at this point in time that they will engage in any military activities. And we are… purposely, our actions have been geared toward de-escalating the situation,” Aquino told reporters in an interview at Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro.
Aquino also brushed aside the Chinese threat, saying Chinese officials may have only be used to such “figures of speech or metaphor,” and that it is only a matter of “style.”
“One of the Chinese officials was quoted as saying that he is prepared to hear the sound of cannons, etc. If you read the headline of the (Chinese) People’s Daily it was more alarming. But it’s a question of style. They are used to that,” he said.
“It is clear that it is to nobody’s benefit and there are a lot of repercussions if any military force happens to be employed here. So we think that is more a statement that lacks substance,” Aquino said.
Aquino said the remarks made by the Chinese military general in the report do not indicate real intentions.
“It is not I think the general who commands policy in the People’s Republic (of China),” he added.
Aquino said he had instructed the Coast Guard to ensure that Philippine laws are complied with, particularly to maritime violations, but at the same time advised it not to make the situation untenable.
“There is that overriding instruction not to escalate the situation; not to put each other in a position that would limit the forces of action or add more tension to the situation in the area,” he said.
He said the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Department of Justice are now discussing the definition of rules and regulations over local and international laws governing poachers.
Staying put
Early this month, Masinloc, Zambales Mayor Desiree Edora said some local fishermen are no longer sailing to Panatag Shoal for fear that they might get caught between Chinese and Filipino forces.
Alcantara, however, said the Chinese fishing vessels are apparently bent on staying in Panatag Shoal, which China calls Huangyan Island.
“It seems that (the Chinese fishing vessels) are already anchored there. When we last talked, there were five. Now there are six,” he said.
The military, however, could not tell how it intends to deal with the apparently increasing presence of Chinese fishing vessels in the area.
“For now I cannot answer that. I’m sure there are specific instructions given to our units, specifically our Coast Guard,” Alcantara said.
Panatag Shoal, known internationally as Scarborough Shoal, is 124 nautical miles from the nearest base point in Zambales. The rock formation is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which China is a signatory.
Last April 8, eight Chinese fishing vessels were seen anchored inside the shoal, prompting the Navy to deploy its largest warship BRP Gregorio del Pilar.
A boarding team composed of Navy sailors was sent on April 10 to inspect the fishing vessels and to collect evidence of their catch. The team found illegally collected corals, giant clams and live sharks inside the Chinese vessels.
The standoff began on April 10 when Chinese surveillance ships placed themselves between the Del Pilar and the fishing vessels, preventing the Filipino sailors from arresting the fishermen.
The Philippines protested the Chinese vessels’ action but China insisted that it has sovereignty over the area.
The eight vessels have left the area, bringing with them the maritime species they harvested from the shoal.
The Philippine government continues to support peaceful means to resolve the standoff despite incidents of bullying by Chinese ships.
Two weeks ago, MY Sarangani, which was commissioned by the government to conduct archaeological surveys, was harassed by a Chinese ship.
Some officials claimed that the yacht, whose passengers included nine French nationals and three employees of the Philippines’ National Museum, left the area on April 18 without completing its mission.
On Saturday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Coast Guard reported another incident of “bullying” by Chinese vessels in the area.
The Coast Guard said the Chinese Fisheries Law Enforcement Command (FLEC) vessel tried to scare off two Coast Guard vessels.
The DFA said the recent actions by the Chinese vessel posed a danger to the Philippine ships, which could mean a violation of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions of Ships at Sea.
Alcantara said he has not received a report about last Saturday’s incident.
“I do not have exact information regarding that incident,” he said.
Alcantara said the Chinese FLEC vessel that was used to patrol the area was no longer monitored by the Coast Guard.
“It is assumed that it is somewhere else beyond the visual contact of our Coast Guard,” he said.
Alcantara, nevertheless, maintained that the military is ready to support the Coast Guard when necessary.
“Our Armed Forces, especially our Philippine Navy, is backing up our Coast Guard and is ready for contingency. They also have a role to play. I assume our maritime police are also monitoring this,” he said.
Documentation
To help prove the bullying of China, Malacañang said the government would start documenting “all actions” of Chinese ships in the disputed Scarborough Shoal territory, which both Beijing and Manila are claiming.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the Coast Guard and the DFA have agreed to record all actions of foreign vessels involved in a standoff with Philippine ships in the area.
“We will document all actions of the Chinese vessels,” Lacierda said over state-run radio station dzRB. Lacierda though said the diplomatic talks with their Chinese counterparts would continue so as not to worsen the two countries’ relations.
The objective of such documentation is to strengthen the Philippine government’s claim to the area – well within the country’s 200-nautical mile EEZ – and before the international bodies resolving such disputes.
“In the meantime, we have to document these. Let’s not exacerbate the situation, one way or the other,” Lacierda said.
DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said they will report to Chinese authorities the incidents of aggressiveness of their ships in the area.
“We will bring this incident of ‘bullying’ to the attention of the Chinese authorities. Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag Shoal) is Philippine territory and Philippine waters,” Hernandez said in a statement. “We will continue to stand up and hold our ground.”
On Saturday, the Coast Guard and the DFA reported an incident of bullying by Chinese vessels in the area where a FLEC 310 vessel tried to scare off two Coast Guard ships.
No one was hurt but “these maneuvers by the Chinese vessel posed a danger to the Philippine vessels,” Hernandez said in a statement.
“Our ships did not react to the bullying,” he added.
This is the most serious event since the standoff began on April 8 when the Philippines attempted to arrest Chinese fishermen in the shoal for poaching, only to be blocked by Chinese ships.
China has warned the Philippines against internationalizing the dispute over the shoal.
In a separate development, Energy Undersecretary Jose Layug said the Philippines is planning more oil and gas exploration in the disputed region despite China’s growing aggressiveness.
“The Chinese are claiming (these areas) but we have said repeatedly that (they are) well within the territorial jurisdiction of the Philippines,” he told ABS-CBN in an interview.
Experts said the overlapping claims are a potential flashpoint that could destabilize regional security.
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