Resupply mission in West Philippine Sea to continue – BFAR

MANILA, Philippines — The resupply mission of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) will continue despite a report from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) of the China Coast Guard (CCG) seizing and dumping food supplies meant for Filipino soldiers stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

“There is no reason for the government to stop providing support in the West Philippine Sea as it is within our exclusive economic zone (EEZ). No foreign countries can stop us in our legitimate undertakings in the waters of the Philippines,” BFAR spokesman Nasser Briguera said.

“We extend our monitoring in international waters covered by our exclusive economic zone. As far as BFAR is concerned, for this year, we have allotted about more than P3 billion for the regulatory and law enforcement programs of the bureau,” he said.

“In fact this year, we target to add additional BFAR vessels in the West Philippine Sea. The function of BFAR is not only in terms of monitoring, control and surveillance, but also in terms of capaciting our municipal fisherfolk to actually fish in the West Philippine Sea. We are actually giving them bigger boats so that they can operate even in further distance,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Senate President Francis Escudero is hoping the Philippines would not retaliate against China’s offensive to prevent war from breaking out in the region and the Philippines from becoming a battleground.

In an interview with reporters, Escudero admitted that the recent incident between the AFP and CCG would likely escalate the already tense situation in WPS.

“I hope that both sides, our country and China, will remain calm, no matter what kind of offensive they do like a seizure,” Escudero said. “I hope our country does not retaliate as I will repeat that no one wants any kind of war to break out in our region, especially if the battleground is our country and not some other place.

Legal actions

Sen. Francis Tolentino called on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to be ready with legal actions against China that threaten to detain trespassers in the South China Sea (SCS), which is said to be enforced starting June 15.

Tolentino warned that the plan of China to detain for 60 days without trial any fishermen caught near the areas they legally claim starting June 15, three days after the celebration of our Independence Day, will trigger a lot of violations.

“I am calling on the DFA to really study several precedents on this. We have the case of three Ukrainian naval vessels detained by Russia, and in 2019, we have the illegal detention of Mexican nationals by the United States,” he said.

Tolentino said the DFA must have a plan as early as possible to prevent the detention of Filipino fishermen and utilize the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

He said the DFA must tap international bodies to file its concern and require China to inform the Philippines if they detain Filipino fishermen, and their families must be informed.

Tolentino warned that China will be criticized by the international community if even one Filipino fisherman is detained.

Meanwhile, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said the government is ready to explore options other than diplomatic means if the situation between the Philippines and China in WPS worsens.

“We do not foreclose the possibility that if this situation worsens and we do not get the result that we desire, then we will have to explore other options than diplomatic,” Guevarra told reporters.

Guevarra, however, would not disclose what these options are as it is the policy of the government to take all measures and necessary actions to deescalate the matter.

“In the case of our big neighbor, the existing policy of government [is] to deescalate existing tension. So while we see many incident [actions] at sea that somehow make the atmosphere quite tense and stressful, still the government has always adopted a policy of trying to deescalate this tension by all available diplomatic means,” Guevarra said.

Despite China’s threat to arrest “foreigners” in the disputed maritime territories, the solicitor general vows “to make sure the safety and security of our fishermen and other Filipinos at sea within our EEZ are protected.”

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is exploring the possibility of having a joint patrol in the high seas with the United States Coast Guard (UCSCG) and the Japan Coast Guard (JCG).

During the trilateral meeting in Singapore yesterday, PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan said they discussed the three Coast Guard organizations conducting joint patrol beyond the Philippines’ EEZ.

“We also discussed the possibility of their personnel on board our ships, and we would also join them in their ships when we conduct patrols in the high seas, which is beyond our EEZ,” said Gavan. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Evelyn Macairan, Diana Lhyd Suelto