Senators slam ‘inhumane’ acts of China Coast Guard

MARITIME DISPUTE A China Coast Guard vessel blocks the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Sindangan during a resupply mission to Filipino troops in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in this photo taken in October last year. —Geraldford Ticke

MANILA, Philippines — Senators on Monday spoke with one voice in condemning what they called the “inhumane” acts of the China Coast Guard (CCG) against Filipino soldiers at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

Citing a ranking military official, the Inquirer reported on Monday that the CCG seized food and other provisions for the soldiers posted at BRP Sierra Madre, soon after an airdrop operation at Ayungin on May 19 to bring those items to the grounded vessel which serves as the Philippines’ military outpost at the shoal.

Besides throwing the food supply at sea, the CCG was reported to have harassed an evacuation operation also that day for soldiers at Ayungin who were reported ill.

READ: China Coast Guard seizes PH supplies for Ayungin

“This is too much. It’s inhumane!” Sen. JV Ejercito told the Inquirer in a Viber message.

“These are already extreme hostilities being displayed by the Chinese government. We need to ask allies to come to our aid during this very sensitive situation,” he said.

Citing Geneva Conventions

Sen. Nancy Binay said the CCG brazenly flouted international treaties and protocols, including the humanitarian treatment of wounded and ailing soldiers under the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols.

The American Red Cross issued a summary in 2011 explaining this set of international treaties as being applicable not only in armed conflicts, but also in instances of occupation by another nation’s troops.

“These actions [by the China Coast Guard] show the outright disregard of the paramount principle of humane treatment and compassion and violate the protocols of the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of the wounded and sick,” Binay said.

“The obstruction of medical aid to our personnel is an affront to these international norms and human dignity,” she also said.

The Philippines is ready to bring these incidents to the attention of international bodies, including the United Nations, she added.

“We will continue to stand firm in our resolve to protect our people and our sovereignty. The safety and well-being of our citizens will always be paramount,” Binay said.

Sen. Francis Tolentino agreed with Binay and suggested the filing of a case against China before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

Any case that the Philippines may file should also include China’s unlawful activities which have resulted in environmental degradation and the destruction of marine resources, he said.

“They have actually violated several specific treaties and conventions,” Tolentino said. “Their responses are all related. And these could be signs of desperation on the part of China.”

‘Human rights violations’

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara said the CCG’s reported actions “endanger… the lives of our Filipino troops stationed at the Ayungin Shoal and could be deemed as a violation of their human rights.”

Sen. Risa Hontiveros said “China’s continued wanton disregard for valuable food resources is now on full display. It’s not only the natural resources that they are wasting but also the food supply for our troops.”

“Also deplorable is their blockade of a medical mission for the soldiers. Despicable and callous,” she added.

“I trust that the Department of National Defense will reinforce our soldiers stationed [at] Ayungin Shoal. We will not allow China to relentlessly demean our troops, our people,” Hontiveros said.

Sen. Joel Villanueva said President Marcos was right in branding as “deceptive” China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea.

Reaction to speech

In his speech on May 31 before the Shangri-La Dialogue, an international defense forum in Singapore during his working visit there, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. criticized the “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive actions” in the disputed waters but did not name China.

China, nevertheless, reacted to Marcos’ speech, with its foreign ministry saying on Monday that “It is very clear to the discerning eye who the Philippines is serving in its foreign policy and for whom it is working in its maritime operations.”

“I like the word ‘deceptive’ because that’s what China has been doing for quite some time,” Villanueva said in a press briefing on Monday. “No one believes in their circus. [China’s] narrative is ridiculous and their claims are unfounded.”

Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. said, “In no uncertain terms, what they are doing is inhumane.”

“We are taking notice of the bullying and provocations against our countrymen and our nation. International law and comity between states must prevail and all contrary actions by any state party should stop,” he said.