China Coast Guard Vessel No. 5205 is shown directing a laser beam at BRP Malapascua in this photo was taken on Feb. 6, 2023. (Photo from the Philippine Coast Guard)
MANILA, Philippines – Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday asked China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to “stop lying,” after it accused the Philippines of intruding into its maritime territory.
Chinese MOFA spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the accusation after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that one of its vessels was harassed with military-grade laser beam by a China Coast Guard ship recently in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
China, however, said that the PCG vessel was in Chinese territory, the Ren’ai Reef.
“China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is lying. It cannot claim that the Chinese Coast Guard ship acted in accordance with international law, when the 2016 arbitral tribunal that ruled against China’s baseless 9-dash-line claim was constituted precisely under the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” Hontiveros said in a statement.
“Maliwanag pa sa sikat ng araw na ang Ayungin Shoal ay teritoryo ng Pilipinas. Hindi yan sa Tsina. Huwag nila tawagin ng Tsinong pangalan. Ayungin is part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. The UNCLOS affirms this. The wider international community recognizes this. It is only China’s authoritarian government that seems to think otherwise,” she added.
(It is clear as day that Ayungin Shoal is within Philippine territory. They should not give it a Chinese name.)
Hontiveros also urged China to stick to facts.
“To China’s MOFA, stop lying and stick to the truth: that China is using her military might to justify her blatant and dangerous disregard for international law, with her flimsy historical “claim” as an excuse. Stop with the false narratives, end the lies, and get out of the West Philippine Sea,” said Hontiveros.
Naval boost
Meanwhile, Senator JV Ejercito said that the government should boost the country’s naval presence in the West Philippine Sea.
“As with the construction of Chinese military facilities in the West Philippine Sea, the CCG’s continuing harassment against our coastal guards and fisherfolks is a clear and present danger to our territorial sovereignty. These acts are unacceptable under any book,” Ejercito said in a separate statement.
“I am calling once more on the national government to expedite the modernization of our armed forces and the strengthening of our defense posture. Given these recent incursions, we need to put up a naval force that can project a more respectable presence in the West Philippine Sea,” he added.
Ejercito likewise said that now is the “best time” to cooperate with the country’s neighbors and defense allies to counter Beijing’s harassment.
Not only China…
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano pointed out that it is not just China whose military presence is strengthened.
“Actually, ‘yung nakikita n’yo lang ‘yung conflict natin with China but ‘yung lumalaki din na presence, including military presence ng Malaysia at Vietnam, for me, is also concerning,” he said in a media interview.
(Actually, you only see our conflict with China but the growing military presence of Malaysia and Vietnam, for me, is also concerning.)
“There really has to be a national strategy and we should ask the question ng (of) whether these exercises with other countries will actually help or aggravate the situation near and long term sa (in the) West Philippine Sea,” he added.
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said that China’s harassment will not be tolerated.
“We will not tolerate this and I hope and pray they don’t do this again next time. We urge the Chinese military and coast guard to refrain from doing these provocative measures,” he said in a separate interview.
For Senator Jinggoy Estrada, China’s act is “loathsome” as it harmed and jeopardized the crew members’ safety.
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, who was “bothered and deeply concerned” over the incident, called on the executive branch to immediately respond to China’s actions.
“Ayungin Shoal is ours and we have been running resupply missions since we established a permanent post aboard BRP Sierra Madre. I am appealing to the Executive to promptly act on what appeared to be an unsafe act against our people,” he said in a video message.