AFP: PH troops didn’t point guns at China Coast Guard

This aerial photograph taken from a military aircraft shows the dilapidated Sierra Madre ship of the Philippine Navy anchored near Ayungin shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) with Philippine soldiers on-board to secure the perimeter in the Spratly group of islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, on May 11, 2015. The Spratlys are considered a potential Asian flashpoint, and claimant nations including the Philippines have expressed alarm as China has embarked on massive reclamation activity. —photo by Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool/Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino troops stationed at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal were holding their rifles during the May 19 resupply mission as they stood guard against the “provocative presence” of the China Coast Guard (CCG), Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said on Tuesday.

But the Filipinos never aimed their weapons at anybody, the military chief said, addressing claims on Chinese state media that Philippine personnel had pointed their guns at the CCG.

READ: China Coast Guard seizes PH supplies for Ayungin

“We have the right [to have weapons onboard] because of the concept of self-defense. We have the right to defend ourselves from any armed attack or external attack,” Brawner told a press conference.

The AFP chief also confirmed an Inquirer report that the CCG had deployed rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) to try to grab the provisions being airdropped by the Philippine Navy to the BRP Sierra Madre, the grounded warship serving as a Philippine outpost in the area.

He said the Chinese personnel had come “very close” to the Sierra Madre at that time.

READ: Senators slam ‘inhumane’ acts of China Coast Guard

Ayungin lies within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone, some 194 km off Palawan province. To protect the country’s sovereignty claims in those waters, the Sierra Madre hosts a small number of Filipino soldiers, requiring regular rotation and resupply missions often subjected to Chinese harassment.

At the press conference, the military showed a three-minute video showing CCG personnel on RHIBs in what appeared to be a cat-and-mouse chase to seize the provisions landing near the ship.

Filipino voices could be heard ordering personnel in their own rubber boats to retrieve the supplies quickly to prevent the Chinese from getting hold of them.

‘Posed a danger’

One of the voices was heard instructing the troops to make sure their guns were on standby, as the scramble for the supplies drew closer and closer to the outpost, coming within 5 to 10 meters, according to military.

“Because of the intent of the Chinese coast guard to get our supplies, they came very close … and from the point of view of our soldiers, this posed a danger, threat. That is why there were videos, images of our soldiers carrying their guns,” Brawner said.

“I’d like to emphasize that they did not point their guns [at] the Chinese. We follow the rules of engagement,” he added.

Upon snatching some of the supplies, the Chinese opened up the packages and dumped the contents back into the water, Brawner said.

Citing information from a ranking military official, the Inquirer reported on Monday that some Chinese personnel had taken supplies for themselves as well.

“Maybe they were trying to look for construction materials but it was just a small package, enough to carry food items and enough for it to float on the water,” Brawner said.

The AFP chief said the soldiers aboard the Sierra Madre had the right to carry arms.

“[It] is a commissioned Philippine Navy ship, and therefore it is authorized to have weapons onboard,” he said.

In Beijing, China’s foreign ministry said the Philippines’ actions at the shoal, which it calls Ren’ai Reef, were illegal.

“On this issue the Philippines is the one who makes frequent infringements and provocations,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing.

But Brawner said it was the CCG’s actions that were unlawful. “You’re not supposed to confiscate the supplies of another country, even in war,” he said.

Also on Tuesday, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada called on the international community to join the Philippines in speaking out against the CCG’s hostile acts.

He urged the Philippines’ allies to “stand with the Philippines in condemning in the strongest terms the recent actions of the [CCG].” —with reports from Marlon Ramos