West Philippine Sea Atin Ito mission: Crewman recalls first sight of Chinese threat

T/S Felix Oca third officer Eleazar Dimabuyo (right), along with other crew members, inside the ship’s bridge. INQUIRER.net/ Faith Argosino

ABOARD T/S FELIX OCA, West Philippine Sea — What seemed to be a “normal” mission shocked third officer Eleazar Dimabuyo after he witnessed China’s intimidation firsthand just about 20 nautical miles from El Nido, Palawan, while aboard training ship (T/S) Felix Oca.

Dimabuyo said this was his first time joining a week-long civilian mission of Atin Ito to the West Philippine Sea since he was assigned to T/S Felix Oca only two months ago.

He was among the 35 crew members helping T/S Felix Oca captain Jorge Dela Cruz man the ship carrying at least 200 individuals, including cadets, Atin Ito volunteers, local and foreign music artists, as well as media members, now bound for Manila after the third mission concluded in Pag-asa Island on Wednesday afternoon (May 28).

Jorge had announced the sighting of two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels shadowing Philippine vessels—the Atin Ito convoy and two other Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ships escorting it—during the mission’s second day (May 27), when the convoy left Palawan and was barely six hours at sea.

“At first, it seemed normal, then when I saw the Chinese Coast Guard vessel, I felt nervous because there were instances before that they fired water cannons,” Dimabuyo said in an interview with reporters on Felix Oca on Thursday (May 29).

Aside from helping the captain navigate Felix Oca, Dimabuyo was also in charge of maintenance and safety equipment. He explained that if a CCG vessel indeed came closer to Felix Oca and fired a water cannon at the Philippine vessel, electrical equipment would be damaged first.

T/S Felix Oca’s bridge. INQUIRER.net/ Faith Argosino

Depending on the water cannon’s impact, Dimabuyo said the bridge’s windows might also break, which could impair the ship’s navigational equipment and deem the ship “invalid” if there was no immediate rescue.

According to Dimabuyo, this was why the captain earlier said the ship would no longer push through the mission and return to El Nido if a CCG vessel maneuvered dangerously close to it..

READ: ‘Atin Ito ship to turn back if China aggression escalates’

Felix Oca was built in 1968 with a length of 114.55 meters and a width of 16 meters. Despite its age, Dimabuyo said the ship could still last for about 10 years.

Given the chance to join again, the ship officer said he had no problem participating in another civilian mission of Atin Ito.

Dimabuyo said the overall experience made him witness the ordeal that Filipino fishermen go through amid China’s continued harassment and intimidation.

“This action has a big impact on small fisherfolk, especially if they are barred from fishing, which is the source of their livelihood. I saw all that in this mission,” he said in Filipino.

Although Dimabuyo said he believes that the government is doing everything it can to counter China’s aggression, he is still hopeful that more efforts will be exerted to “convince” China that the territory belongs to the Philippines.

T/S Felix Oca’s bridge. INQUIRER.net/ Faith Argosino

As of this writing, Dimabuyo said a CCG vessel continued to shadow Felix Oca on its way to Manila.

Atin Ito’s third mission concluded after a sea concert and the distribution of over 20 gallons of fuel to 11 boats manned by fishermen from Pagasa Island.

Apart from the two CCG vessels shadowing the Atin Ito convoy, 22 Chinese maritime militia boats were anchored in Pag-asa Cay 2, Cay 3, and Cay 4 during the concert, according to the PCG.

Beijing’s continued aggression was based on its assertion of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, refusing to recognize the 2016 arbitral ruling that effectively dismissed its claims and ruled in favor of Manila.