I bring to your attention the column of Mr Alejandro Del Rosario, “Gambit,” published on page A4 of your major daily on 08 November 2019.
In his column, Mr. Del Rosario mentioned the incident of the Chinese firing up flare warnings in the West Philippine Sea. The paragraph reads:
“Incidentally, Chinese vessels fired warning flares against a Greek ship manned by a Filipino skipper. The Department of Defense as usual downgraded the incident which happened in international waters in the South China Sea.”
While there is indeed a report of Chinese flares being fired, this is a separate incident that happened in February 2019. The reported harassment of a Greek-owned oil tanker with its Filipino captain occurred near Panatag Shoal on September 30.
More importantly, Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana did not downplay the incident. Secretary Lorenzana has issued the following statement on the matter:
“We, however, would like to reiterate our call for all countries to exercise prudence and respect freedom of navigation and passage in the West Philippine Sea. Bajo de Masinloc is well within the Philippine exclusive economic zone, and the 2016 arbitral ruling declared that it is a common fishing area. The Chinese government must respect international maritime laws if it wants to earn the respect of the international community.”
CAPT JONATHAN V ZATA PN(GSC)
Chief, Public Affairs Office
Armed Forces of the Philippines