‘Atin Ito’ promotes ‘active citizenship model’ in West Philippine Sea

SUCCESSFUL VOYAGE Philippine Coast Guard personnel on Monday collect food and other supplies carried by ML Chowee (background), the only boat which evaded Chinese ships that hounded a civilian-led mission to the West Philippine Sea on Sunday. The provisions were intended for troops guarding Lawak (Nanshan) Island in the Spratlys. —AFP/ATIN ITO COALITION

VIGAN CITY, Philippines — The organizer of a civilian mission in the West Philippine Sea wants to counter Beijing’s purported “new model” in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal with an “active citizenship model” to assert Manila’s rights in its exclusive economic zone.

Rafaela David, chief convenor of Atin Ito, said this civilian paradigm upholds peaceful means without giving up the country’s sovereign rights.

“This is one of the genuine Filipino and progressive models we adhere to, unlike the fake narratives of a ‘gentleman’s agreement,’ ‘common understanding,’ and a ‘new model’ propagated by China,” David said in a press conference in Manila on Wednesday.

David remarked the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of the Philippines claimed that a “new model” between Manila and Beijing were already agreed upon, a claim that was vehemently denied by the top leaders of the nation’s military establishment.

READ: China embassy’s ‘barking’ violates wiretapping law if claims true — Teodoro

Not just sightseeing

Last year, the first-ever supply mission of Atin Ito proved to be a success as one of their resupply boats managed to get past Chinese vessels and reach Lawak Island on Dec. 11, bringing gifts for those who are based in BRP Sierra Madre—a Navy outpost in Ayungin Shoal—and other people in West Philippine Sea’s eight other maritime features.

However, this feat was not without challenges. On Dec. 10, a China Coast Guard vessel tailed the caravan’s mothership, TS Kapitan Felix Oca, prompting its captain to return to a port in El Nido, Palawan. The convoy was supposed to go to the vicinity waters of Ayungin Shoal, where the World War II-era ship is aground.

On May 15, the civilian West Philippine Sea advocates are arranging another trip to Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal, joined by around 100 civilian fishing boats. This trip will culminate in the installation of buoys to assert the country’s sovereign rights in the sandbank.

READ: 100 civilian fishing boats to join Scarborough Shoal convoy

David said such trips are in line with the “active citizenship model” which does not seek “provocation” or “conflict.”

“This is not a sightseeing excursion to seek out Chinese marine vessels or a provocation to incite conflict,” David said.

“It is a legitimate exercise of Filipino citizens within our own territory,” she added. Our approach is grounded in reclaiming what rightfully belongs to us, guided by international law and diplomatic principles.”