Seeking diplomacy doesn’t equate to weakness, says maritime law expert

China Coast Guard personnel brandish bolos against Philippine navy personnel during the June 17 resupply mission in a naval outpost in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. PHOTO FROM THE AFP
MANILA, Philippines — Recourse to diplomacy does not equate to weakness, an international law expert said on Saturday.
According to University of the Philippines professor Jay Batongbacal, there were cases in other countries where there was damages or injuries, but were resolved through diplomacy.
READ: Sailor whose thumb got cut off in Ayungin mission wants to return to duty
“Sa ibang mga bansa marami nang mga ganyang klaseng insidente, nagkaroon ng damage nagkaroon ng injury, in the end hindi sila nagigiyera. Naresolve pa ‘yon sa pamamagitan ng diplomasya, compensation later on, mga ganoon,” Batongbacal said in a news forum.
(In other countries, there has been many kinds of accidents, there’s damage, there’s injury, in the end, they don’t go to war. It’s resolved through diplomacy, compensation later on, such like that.)
Article continues after this advertisement“Hindi ‘yon indication ng weakness, hindi ‘yon ibig sabihin na sumusuko tayo, pero in fact pinapakita natin na hindi tayo napipilit, naapektuhan nito, kumbaga, mas deliberate talaga ‘yong ating gustong mangyari,” he added.
Article continues after this advertisement(It’s not an indication of weakness, that doesn’t mean that we’re weak, but it shows that we are not goaded, or affected, it means that what we want to happen is more deliberate.)
It was important to distinguish the context of an incident to determine whether it was an act or a mere accident to avoid untoward events, Batongbacal added.
“Kailangan makita mo ‘yon sa buong konteksto ng pangyayari. Maaaring magmukha siyang act kung ito lang tintingnan mo kung ilang factors lang tinitingnan mo, pero ‘pag tiningnan mo ‘yong buong konteksto, marami pang ibang pangyayari, d’on mo lang makikita na accident pala,” he added.
(You need to see that in the entire context of the event. It might seem like an act if you only consider a few factors, but when you look at the whole context, there are many other events where you’ll see that it was actually an accident.)
The official issued the statement following an incident in the Ayungin Shoal on June 17 where Philippine Navy Seaman First Class Jeffrey Facundo’s thumb was severed.
READ: China’s actions in Ayungin Shoal not an armed attack — Palace
On that day, Philippine forces were on a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre, but were rammed by Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels, while reports said that CCG personnel also boarded the Philippine vessels.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said on Friday that the incident was not to be considered as an armed attack.