TIME and again, the China Coast Guard flexed its military muscle, this time four days back at the Sabina Shoal, 150 kilometers west of Palawan and well within the Philippines’ 250-mile exclusive economic zone.
The recent bullying occurred only a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. received the credentials of Jing Quan, the new Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China – suggesting the kind of red carpet for him by the CCG.
We join the “Young Guns” bloc of the House of Representatives and other legislators in condemning the use of water cannon by the CCG which injured three Filipino fishermen.
This is definitely highly concerning, since China’s actions violate international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award, which affirm the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.
While we condemn the CCG action, we also commend the Philippine Coast Guard for its “unwavering professionalism” in sailing on a fair wind and reaching the affected fishermen and providing medical care.
Also in the House, Rep. Leila De Lima described the incident “outrageous and deeply concerning,” adding in a statement “the CCG has put the lives of our countrymen in extreme danger.”
In the Senate, we heard Senator Risa Hontiveros strongly condemn China’s continued aggression against Filipino fisherfolk in the West Philippine Sea, where she echoed her concern through a Viber message: “Our fishermen can barely earn a living in our own waters, and now they’re being harmed? China seems intent on getting what it wants at the cost of not only our territories but also our people.”
Parallel to her understandable unease, we raise our hope the Philippine government will before long be able to speed up defense treaty negotiations with like-minded nations and ensure Filipino fishermen are not left defenseless.
Hontiveros also stressed the Marcos administration must urgently strengthen maritime and defense capabilities, warning that past incidents – such as Navy personnel losing fingers, Coast Guard crew suffering temporary blindness, and now fishermen being injured – show the real dangers of being unprepared.
During a Senate budget hearing for the Department of Transportation last month, Senator JV Ejercito proposed an P8.6-billion budget augmentation to the Philippine Coast Guard.
This would allow the PCG to acquire new vessels, including a 97-meter multi-role response ship from Japan, three 87-meter vessels for patrols, and around 40 aluminum boats for search-and-rescue operations during typhoons and other calamities.
We hope to see our leaders going beyond issuing statements of condemnation in face of the blatantly serious violation of fishermen’s rights within their territorial waters.
Alarming indeed, the bully’s actions, and this is an understatement.
