China sends huge blockading force

To stop Atin Ito convoy headed to Bajo de Masinloc

(UPDATE) CHINA is sending the biggest blockading force ever to Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in anticipation of the arrival of the Atin Ito civilian convoy on May 14.

At least four China Coast Guard (CCG) ships and 26 large Chinese maritime vessels will be in the blockade by the time the civilian convoy of about 100 fishing boats from Zambales arrives in the area, said retired US Air Force colonel Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, a transparency project that monitors and reports activities in the South China Sea.

This does not include the Chinese ships that are not detectable on automatic identification system (AIS).

“This will be by far the largest blockade I’ll have ever tracked at Scarborough,” said Powell. “China seems determined to aggressively enforce its claim over the shoal, of which it seized control from the Philippines in 2012.”

ANOTHER JOURNEY A member of Akbayan paints buoys on May 13, 2024 for the second civilian mission to the West Philippine Sea.
PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE

ANOTHER JOURNEY A member of Akbayan paints buoys on May 13, 2024 for the second civilian mission to the West Philippine Sea.PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE

This is the second time that the Atin Ito coalition will push through with its planned civilian supply mission in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the official designation by the Philippines to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country’s exclusive economic zone.

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On Dec. 11, 2023, the coalition successfully conducted its first civilian mission.

During their initial journey, at least eight of China’s large Qiong Sansha Yu militia ships steamed from the Chinese Bajo Masinloc military base.

There are 27 ships of this type in the Bajo de Masinloc-Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal area, in addition to at least two large CCG vessels, 5305 and 5402, that can be seen in the same area at that time. These ships were frequently monitored participating in blockades in the area.

Members of Akbayan on Monday, May 13, 2024, prepare buoys for the second civilian mission to the West Philippine Sea. PHOTOS BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE

Four large People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy vessels (Type 52C and 52D Destroyers) and three smaller CCG ships (a Type 72 II Landing Ship, a Type 53H3 Light Frigate and a CCG Hulai II Class) were among those vessels monitored anchored along the pier at Panganiban (Mischief) Reef.

This time, Atin Ito plans to sail to Bjo de Masinloc from May 14 to 17 to bring supplies to fishers and install buoys bearing the message: “West Philippine Sea is ours!”

Akbayan Party president and Atin Ito co-convener Rafaela David said the upcoming civilian mission is a legitimate exercise of Filipinos’ right to movement within the country’s territory.

David called the reported heavy presence of Chinese vessels in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal “lamentable, but not surprising.”

“It only underscores the urgency of civilianizing the area in response to China’s militarization,” she said.

David said Beijing’s actions merely unite and inspire them to further defend Filipinos’ rights.

“Atin Ito shall press forward with our peaceful voyage undeterred by any intimidation. We will sail with determination, not provocation, to civilianize the region and safeguard our territorial integrity,” David said.

Those who joined the convoy will install symbolic markers or buoys emblazoned with the rallying cry “WPS, Atin Ito!” (WPS is ours!) to reinforce the country’s territorial integrity.

Fisherfolk from Zambales, along with Alyansa Bantay Kapayapaan at Demokrasya, wave a Philippine flag during a fluvial parade in the West Philippine Sea in Candelaria, Zambales, on Saturday, May 11, 2024, to express their condemnation of the harassment by the Chinese Coast Guard of Filipino fishermen. PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN

Fisherfolk from Zambales lead a fluvial parade in the West Philippine Sea off Candelaria, on Saturday, May 11, 2024, to express their condemnation of the continuous harassment by the Chinese Coast Guard of Filipino fishers within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and to show solidarity with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and fellow Filipinos in asserting sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.
PHOTOS BY ISMAEL DE JUAN