Photo from Atin Ito delivering supplies in Lawak
ABOARD BRP MELCHORA AQUINO — The first-ever Christmas mission of civilian advocates proved to be a success as one of their resupply boat managed to get past Chinese vessels and reach their destination, bringing gifts to the military and non-military personnel in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
But before the triumph comes tedium and uncertainty.
The mission led by pro-WPS advocates Atin Ito formally kicked off on Friday, after the mission’s mother ship TS Kapitan Felix Oca left Manila port on Friday en route to San Fernando port in El Nido, Palawan.
READ: First batch of Christmas convoy sets sail to West Philippine Sea
TS Kapitan Felix Oca arrived on the port on Saturday morning and departed from the port in the crack of drawn on Sunday and was supposed to visit the vicinity of Ayungin Shoal where the BRP Sierra Madre is currently grounded.
Carrying volunteers and members of the media, the civilian mother ship was accompanied by the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) BRP Melchora Aquino, where local and foreign journalists, including Inquirer.net, were also aboard.
The civilian and PCG vessel sailed together from the El Nido port passing by to the vicinity waters of Ayungin Shoal before going to Lawak Island to dispatch their supplies.
The journey was expected to last for 32 hours.
“We were all set and fired up. We were excited,” Robert Francis Garcia, one of the volunteers aboard TS Kapitan Felix Oca told INQUIRER.net in an interview on Monday.
The journey was uneventful for most part until a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel shadowed TS Kapitan Felix Oca off Kayumanggi Reef.
READ: Civilian ship, chased by China vessel, returns to Palawan
The personnel and the media on board BRP Melchora Aquino also witnessed how the CCG vessel crossed the path between the said PCG vessel and TS Kapitan Felix Oca.
BREAKING: The civilian ship en route to Ayungin Shoal decided to return to El Nido, Palawan after the shadowing of a China Coast Guard vessel on Sunday afternoon. @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/R6lo8GdoaX
— John Eric Mendoza (@JEMendozaINQ) December 10, 2023
Due to this, the captain of the vessel decided to return to the port only after 15 hours.
Garcia said the captain’s decision was met with disappointment and frustration, with some volunteers turning emotional.
“We volunteers and the media personnel were determined to continue the journey. It was a big disappointment and frustration when we learned of the captain’s decision to turn back because of the real challenge being faced,” Garcia said.
“Some of the youth volunteers [were crying] because they were excited about it. We just tried to appease them,” he added.
Sources inside the BRP Melchora Aquino said they convinced the captain on TS Kapitan Felix Oca to continue its course, also noting that the shadowing activities of CCG vessels in the area is common.
On Sunday morning, however, the CCG used a water cannon against the vessels during the rotation and resupply mission (Rore) in the BRP Sierra Madre on Sunday morning, hours before the expected arrival of the vessels in the general vicinity of the area.
No less than Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff General Romeo Brawner Jr, witnessed this while onboard a resupply boat used in the Rore.
READ: Brawner saw firsthand Chinese harassment of resupply vessels in WPS
Brawner noted that the AFP has recorded the highest number of Chinese deployed at 46 vessels, and he suspected that these were deployed to prepare for the Christmas mission in the area.
The PCG and civilian ships then headed back to San Fernando port for another 16 hours.
Only when the BRP Melchora Aquino reached the vicinity waters off El Nido did the encouraging news arrived: One of the fishing vessels managed to enter Lawak Island, where they dropped off the supplies they brought.
MV Chowee arrived in Lawak Island on Friday morning, bringing solar lamps, boxes of medicines and vitamins and assorted food items, more than dozen sacks of rice, almost a hundred packs of Noche Buena packages, as well as non-food items like toiletries, according to Rafaela David, chief convenor of Atin Ito.
David said MV Chowee resumed its fishing activities after dispatching the supplies.
“While our trip was cut short and we were not able to visit the planned areas, our mission was success because we brought our goods in Lawak Island,” David said in a press conference in El Nido.
“It’s mission accomplished, it’s historic in many ways,” she also said.
“Nakalusot!”
While the mother ship of the WPS convoy prematurely returned to Palawan after CCG vessel shadowing, the convoy’s MV Chowee arrived at Lawak Is. on 5:00 am (Monday).
Organizers said they are now dropping off their donations in the island. @inquirerdotnet pic.twitter.com/wx6n5V1ubd
— John Eric Mendoza (@JEMendozaINQ) December 11, 2023