Philippines’ MANILA According to Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) participated “for the first time” in the latest Chinese attempt to obstruct the operation to resupply troops on the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
A PLA-Navy ship with the bow number 630 reportedly approached BRP Sindangan within 0.5 nautical miles in an apparent attempt to prevent the Philippine ship from approaching the Sierra Madre, according to a post on X (previously Twitter) by Tarriela.
Philippine resupply ships eventually managed to get away from the Chinese and unload their supplies on the Sierra Madre.
The PCG official added to his tweet by saying that “PLA aircraft Y8Q conducted surveillance in Sabina (Escoda) Shoal and left when the resupply contingent arrived near Ayungin Shoal.”
The CCG and the Chinese maritime militia warships, according to Tarriela, “carried out eight dangerous maneuvers.”
Additionally, he claimed that CCG vessel 21556 “came as close as one meter to the (PCG) vessel BRP Sindangan.” According to images and videos Tarriela posted on X, the CCG vessel came perilously close to the PCG vessel, which was carrying journalists and was being used for videography.
Teodoro Locsin Jr., a special envoy to China, was on board the BRP Cabra when the incident occurred, according to a PTV report. A Filipino ambassador joined the resupply operation for the first time.
In a television interview, Tarriela stated that it was “disturbing” for the CCG ships to have been so close to the PCG ships because it may have resulted in an accident that the Chinese could “take advantage of” by blaming the Filipinos for.
“If our Coast Guard pilots were incompetent, there might have been a collision, and the Chinese might have invented a story that our coast guard rammed their ship. We’re attempting to prevent it, the PCG official added in Filipino.
Five Chinese naval militia ships, he added, “actively assisted the CCG in blocking our PCG vessels.”
“Four CCG vessels in total, together with five Chinese maritime militia vessels, were sent out to disrupt the resupply mission. Notably, two CCG ships were almost the same size as the MRRV, Tarriela noted, referring to the PCG patrol ship’s multi-role reaction vehicle that served as an escort during the resupply mission.
‘Disputable’
Col. Medel Aguilar, spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), described China’s assertion of “indisputable sovereignty” over the Spratly Islands or the Kalayaan Island Group, which includes the Ayungin Shoal, as “disputable” yesterday.
Aguilar responded to the statement made by CCG spokesman Gan Yu that China “has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands, including the Ren’ai Reef, and its adjacent waters, and firmly opposes the illegal delivery of construction materials by the Philippines to the illegally grounded warship.” China was using the names Beijing had given the Kalayaan Island Group and the Ayungin Shoal.
“For starters, the UNCLOS rejects its claim. Second, the arbitral decision rendered it invalid. Third, while many nations have publicly backed the Philippines and the rules-based international system, nobody has publicly backed China’s activities at the WPS, according to Aguilar, who spoke at the Saturday News Forum at the Dapo Restaurant and Bar.
He claimed that China was becoming increasingly isolated due to its “irresponsible actions” in the West Philippine Sea.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration, based in The Hague, invalidated China’s nine-dash line in its 2016 judgement on a lawsuit brought by Manila in 2013 contesting Beijing’s expansive claim over the South China Sea, while reiterating the Philippines’ own maritime rights. The arbitral panel claimed that UNCLOS constituted the foundation for its decision.
When asked what the military planned to do to stop the Chinese from harassing Philippine supply missions for the Sierra Madre or for troops on Pag-Asia Island in the KIG, the AFP spokesman declined to go into further detail.
“These are matters that are quite sensitive and delicate, and we don’t want to telegraph what is inside our mind because this is a matter of national security,” he said.
He did, however, remind the CCG that Philippine ships traveling in the West Philippine Sea are not under to its control.
“What we do to our BRP Sierra Madre is none of their business, and they should not interfere,” Aguilar stated. – Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Emmanuel Tupas
