China Coast Guard shadows PH convoy

(UPDATE) CHINA Coast Guard vessels on Wednesday began shadowing a convoy of Philippine civilian boats on their way to a disputed South China Sea shoal, a convoy spokesman said.

Three clearly marked coast guard vessels sailed within sight of the convoy at dusk, and broadcast radio warnings were heard aboard one of the Philippine boats as the convoy moved closer to Scarborough Shoal, convoy spokesman Emman Hizon said.

Civilians on board fishing boats sailed May 15 toward the Chinese-controlled Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to distribute provisions to Filipino fishermen and assert their rights to the disputed waterway.

The trip to the waters around Scarborough Shoal comes two weeks after China Coast Guard vessels fired a water cannon two Philippine government boats in the same area in the latest maritime incident between the countries.

Waving tiny Philippine flags and chanting, “The Philippines is ours, China out!” about 200 people boarded five commercial fishing vessels that sailed out of a northern port in the morning, escorted by 100 small wooden fishing boats with bamboo outriggers.

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A few hours later, a lone Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) boat met the convoy in the open seas and stood guard as it handed out food and fuel to Filipino fishermen and dropped a dozen orange buoys marked “WPS is Ours” about 20 nautical miles off the Zambales coast.

WPS is the acronym for the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s name for the South China Sea waters immediately west of the Philippines.

Later, the group issued a statement saying it would “proceed to the second phase of its voyage, aiming to reach the vicinity of Panatag Shoal for another round of supply distribution to Filipino fisherfolk in the area.”

The PCG in Manila said it was deploying more vessels to escort the convoy.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan already ordered the deployment of the 44-meter BRP Bagacay on Wednesday to provide security to the Atin Ito civilian convoy.

The additional ships have been identified as BRP Panglao and BRP Boracay.

The two ships are already in Subic in Zambales, Tarriela said.

“BRP Boracay is in Subic already. BRP Panglao is also on the way. These are 24-meter patrol boats. Fast and with excellent maneuverability,” Tarriela said.

“We also dispatched a Coast Guard aircraft to monitor the situation in Bajo de Masinloc and the journey of Atin Ito Coalition,” he added.

The decision to deploy additional Philippine ships was made following reports that around 30 Chinese vessels, including a warship, were being monitored off Bajo de Masinloc.

Tarriela said the additional PCG vessels are in accordance with their commitment to ensuring the safety of civilians who joined the voyage.

Philippine fishermen, along with volunteers from a civilian-led mission ‘Atin Ito (It’s Ours)’ Coalition, arrive at a meeting point as seen from the bow of Philippine Coast Guard ship BRP Bagacay, in South China Sea on May 15, 2024. Civilians on board Philippine fishing boats sailed on May 15 towards a China-controlled reef off the Southeast Asian country to distribute provisions to Filipino fishermen and assert their rights to the disputed waterway. AFP PHOTOS

“Right now, we are making preparations for the additional vessels that we will be deploying,” he said.

Tarriela clarified that the civilian convoy going to Bajo de Masinloc “is not sanctioned by the national government,” as claimed by China.

While the PCG was not directly involved in the civilian mission, it would ensure the safety and security of the civilian volunteers.

A spokesman for the convoy told reporters via a messaging app that there was “no Chinese presence” where the vessels had distributed assistance to fishermen.

He declined to disclose the exact location of this phase of the voyage, except to say the boats were “still far from the shoal.”

The group had said it received reports of a “heavy presence” of Chinese vessels near the Scarborough Shoal.

Called Panatag in the Philippines, the Scarborough Shoal has been a potential flashpoint since Beijing seized it from Manila in 2012.

The fish-rich reef is about 240 kilometers west of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon and nearly 900 kilometers from Hainan, the nearest major Chinese land mass.

The world is watching

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims by the Philippines and other countries, and ignoring an international ruling in favor of the Philippines and that its assertion has no legal basis.

To press its claims, Beijing deploys coast guards and other boats to patrol the waterway and has turned several reefs into artificial islands that it has militarized.

“This civilian supply mission is not just about delivering supplies; it’s about reaffirming our presence and rights in our own waters,” convoy organizer Edicio de la Torre said in a statement Wednesday.

“The world is watching, and the narrative of rightful ownership and the peaceful assertion is clearly on our side,” de la Torre added.

Tensions over the disputed waters and reefs have intensified in the past 18 months as Manila has pushed back against China’s growing assertiveness.

This is the second civilian convoy organized by the Atin Ito group, whose name is Filipino for “This is Ours.”

A previous trip to the South China Sea in December was aborted due to shadowing by Chinese vessels.

China reiterated on Wednesday that it has indisputable sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc, which it calls Huangyan Island and its adjacent waters.

“If the Philippine side abuses China’s goodwill and infringes on China’s territorial sovereignty and jurisdiction, China will defend its rights in accordance with the law. The relevant responsibilities and consequences are entirely borne by the Philippine side,” China foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in a media briefing.

Space technology

Also on Wednesday, lawmakers from the House of Representatives said space technology would help the country when it comes to the WPS.

In a press conference on Thursday, Davao Oriental 2nd District Rep. Cheeno Miguel Almario said satellite imagery would “be a very useful technology in terms of at least to know what is currently happening in areas that we cannot immediately see with the naked eye.”

Almario said monitoring seas is difficult and expensive but that through satellite imagery, it becomes cheaper and more accessible.

He also said in Filipino and English, “I think that it shouldn’t be a subject of further conflict. Because this kind of technology is available to everyone.”

He said, “We are trying to monitor our territory, our waters, and I think this would be very beneficial to us.”

Earlier, the Philippines and the United States had agreed to expand their cooperation in space technology.

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