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Saturday, March 4, 2023 Vol. 18 No. 140
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Washington assures Manila, for nth time, any armed attack on PHL ships, aircraft will set Mutual Defense Treaty in motion; but questions linger
‘BIG BROTHER’ IS WITH US? IN this May 15, 2017, file photo, a US Marine Osprey transport aircraft, carrying US troops with relief supplies, lands on a pier to simulate humanitarian assistance to test their readiness in disaster relief efforts during Balikatan 2017, a joint Philippines-US military exercise, in Casiguran, Aurora. AP/BULLIT MARQUEZ
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By Rex Anthony Naval
“The PCG will continue to exercise due diligence in protecting the country’s territorial integrity against foreign aggression. The AFP can always rely on the PCG to support their resupply mission in Ayungin Shoal. Despite the dangerous maneuver of the much larger CCG ships and their aggressive actions at sea, the PCG ships will always be in the West Philippine Sea to sustain our presence and assert our sovereign rights,” PCG Commandant Admiral Artemio M. Abu said.
HILE the jury is still out on whether the incident where a purported Chinese militarygrade laser swept the bridge of Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) offshore patrol ship, BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) on February 6 and temporarily blinded the crew can be considered an armed attack, the United States in no uncertain voice announced that it will stand by the Philippines as stated in the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).
At the time of the laser-beaming incident, BRP Malapascua was escorting a rotation and resupply mission (RoRe) of the Philippine Navy (PN) on Ayungin Shoal, West Philippine Sea (WPS). “On February 6, 2023, a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel with bow number 5205 directed a militarygrade laser light at the PCG vessel BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) while supporting a RoRe mission of the PN in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea,” the PCG said in a statement issued on February 13. Ayungin Shoal is where the PN landing ship BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) is grounded, serving as an outpost for a Marine contingent keeping watch over the area. “As BRP Malapascua reached a 10NM [nautical miles] distance from Ayungin Shoal, the CCG vessel was monitored approximately 4NM of the ship’s dead ahead maneuvering from the portside heading starboard side. The Chinese ship illuminated the green laser light twice toward the BRP Malapascua, causing temporary blindness to her crew at the bridge. The
Chinese vessel also made dangerous maneuvers by approaching about 150 yards from the vessel’s starboard quarter,” the PCG added. Shortly afterwards, BRP Malapascua altered course from Ayungin Shoal, as part of its deployment plan, and headed toward Lawak Island to continue her maritime patrol and support the BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) for the PCG’s own RoRe mission to its substations in the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG). The PCG likewise condemned the incident, saying the action was a deliberate attempt to block the Philippine government ships on a mission to deliver food and supplies to military personnel aboard the BRP Sierra Madre. It also called the latest interference as a “blatant disregard for, and a clear violation of, Philippine sovereign rights in this part of the West Philippine Sea.”
US affirms MDT commitment to PHL
A CHINA Coast Guard ship flashes a green-colored laser at Philippine Coast Guard vessel Malapascua. PHOTO COURTESY OF PCG
Not the first instance of harassment
IN August 2022, the PCG said, the CCG also prevented their ships from coming closer to Ayungin Shoal. “The CCG-5205 removed the
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin shakes hands with his Philippine counterpart, Carlito Galvez Jr. at a joint press conference in Camp Aguinaldo on February 2, 2023. AP/JOEAL CALUPITAN
cover of her 70mm naval armament when BRP Teresa Magbanua came close to Ayungin Shoal at a distance of 2.5NM. The said CCG ship, together with the two Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) and CCG-5102, formed a 13NM-radius blockade with the grounded PN vessel as its reference to prevent Philippine government ships from reaching the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] troops,” it added. The PCG said it is evident that the CMM vessels took orders from the CCG to prevent the Philippine ships from entering the shoal. It added that the CMM even deployed their utility boats to support the blockade and shadowing by the CCG. Despite these challenges, the PCG said they remain steadfast in protecting the sovereignty and rights of the country and Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea.
AS this developed, US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, in a telephone call with Department of National Defense (DND) Officerin-Charge Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on February 22, reiterated that an armed attack on any Philippine ships and aircraft at the South China Sea (SCS) will invoke commitments to the MDT. “Secretary Austin reiterated that the US’ commitment to the alliance remains ironclad, and that an armed attack on Philippine Armed Forces, aircraft and public vessels, including the Coast Guard, anywhere in the South China Sea, would invoke US mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the MDT,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement. Article IV of the MDT between the Philippines and the United States stipulates, “Each Party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific area on either of the Parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common dangers in accordance with its constitutional processes.” The MDT between the two nations was signed on August 30, 1951. In the statement, Galvez expressed appreciation for the US government’s support for the Philippines in view of recent incidents Continued on A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 54.9840 n JAPAN 0.4020 n UK 65.6784 n HK 7.0048 n CHINA 7.9465 n SINGAPORE 40.8105 n AUSTRALIA 36.9987 n EU 58.2830 n KOREA 0.0420 n SAUDI ARABIA 14.6503 Source: BSP (March 3, 2023)