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Sunday, October 8, 2023 Vol. 18 No. 356
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Will removal of barrier by PCG further escalate WPS tension?
‘KEEP CALM, CARRY ON’ A PHILIPPINE Coast Guard personnel observes as a Chinese Coast Guard ship sails near them during their patrol at Bajo de Masinloc, 124 nautical miles west of Zambales, on March 2, 2022. PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD VIA AP
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By Rex Anthony Naval
Tarriela said the BFAR vessel responded to each radio call and emphasized that they were carrying out a routine patrol within the territorial sea of Bajo de Masinloc. Tarriela said the CCG ships maintained a safe distance upon learning that media practitioners were also on board the BRP Datu Bankaw.
ID the Philippines cross the proverbial Rubicon when it ordered its Coast Guard (PCG) to cut and remove the floating barrier placed by the Chinese off the southwest portion of Bajo de Masinloc (also known as Scarborough Shoal) located some 124 nautical miles off Zambales on September 25?
Initial PHL responses
THIS undated photo provided on September 26, 2023, by Philippine Coast Guard shows a diver cutting rope tied to a floating barrier in the Scarborough Shoal. PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD VIA AP
THIS undated photo provided on September 26, 2023, by Philippine Coast Guard shows the anchor used to hold the floating barriers which were removed by coast guard divers, in the Scarborough Shoal. PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD VIA AP
Observers said the removal of the Chinese floating barrier— triggering tensions further in the West Philippine Sea (WPS)—could be the “most aggressive” action of Manila since the Philippines lost control of the shoal following a tense standoff with the Chinese coast guard (CCG) and its maritime militia in April 2012. In the aftermath of that incident, the Philippine government resorted to just monitoring and filing diplomatic protests whenever Chinese incursions in its vast maritime territories were detected. Bajo de Masinloc is situated 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It is approximately 472 nautical miles from the nearest Chinese coast. Despite the distance, China continues to lay claim to Bajo de Masinloc, saying the feature is within its territory. But under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), that part of Bajo de Ma-
sinloc covered by the Philippines’ EEZ falls under Philippine control and jurisdiction. The 2016 Arbitral Award also affirmed BDM as a traditional fishing ground of Filipino fisherfolk— and of other Southeast Asian nations. Meaning, China has no right to blockade it. As of this writing, China has still to make a more concrete response on the removal of its floating barriers off Bajo de Masinloc, except to ridicule the Philippine efforts.
Discovery of the obstacle
THE PCG and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) discovered this obstacle laid by the China Coast Guard while on a routine maritime patrol on September 22. “The floating barrier with an estimated length of 300 meters was discovered by the PCG and BFAR personnel on board BRP Datu Bankaw when they conducted routine maritime patrol on September 22, 2023, at the vicinity of BDM [Bajo de Masinloc],” PCG
spokesperson for WPS, Commodore Jay Tarriela, said. Subsequent investigation revealed that the floating barrier was placed by three CCG rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIB) and a Chinese maritime militia (CMM) service boat. CCG vessels usually install floating barriers when they monitor a large number of Filipino fishermen in the area. At that time, 50 Filipino fishing boats were fishing in the area. Recognizing the importance of supporting artisanal or subsistence fishing of these fishermen, the BFAR provided them with various grocery items and fuel to sustain their operations, Tarriela said. “However, a total of four CCG vessels (CCG-3065, CCG-3066, CCG-3105 and CCG-3301) initiated a series of 15 radio challenges in an attempt to drive away the BFAR vessel and FFBs,” he added. The CCG claimed that the presence of the BFAR vessel and Filipino fishermen violated international law and the domestic laws of China.
INITIALLY, Tarriela said on September 25 the PCG needs authorization from the government to cut and remove the floating barrier off Bajo de Masinloc. He issued this comment when asked why they did not cut these obstacles upon sighting. “Ang PCG ay gumagawa lang po ng mga bagay na ipinaguutos ng ating [only does tasks ordered by the] national government; our primary mission there is to provide relief goods and to distribute fuel subsidy sa ating mga mangingisda [to our fishermen], and [at that time], we were able to document itong pag lalagak ng floating barrier na to sa bunganga ng [the placement of the floating barrier at the mouth of] Bajo de Masinloc,” he said. Tarriela said documentation or evidence of these obstacles must be presented to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) before any action could be done. “We have to clear it with the Department of Foreign Affairs or even the Department of Justice, and more importantly, to seek guidance from the National Security Adviser himself [before doing anything],” he stressed.
‘Appropriate actions’
MEANWHILE, later in the day, National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo M. Año said the Philippine government will take the necessary action to remove these floating barriers. “We will take all appropriate Continued on A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.6320 n JAPAN 0.3814 n UK 69.0684 n HK 7.2326 n CHINA 7.7440 n SINGAPORE 41.4401 n AUSTRALIA 36.0633 n EU 59.7524 n KOREA 0.0421 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.0998 Source: BSP (October 6, 2023)