AFP blasts China’s latest harassment of PH Navy ship at Panatag Shoal

RECKLESS ACTIONS Chinese Navy’s Jiangkai II-class frigate with bow No. 554 dangerously tails the Philippines’ BRP Emilio Jacinto (PS35) on May 5. The Philippine vessel was conducting lawful maritime operations near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal when two Chinese ships were documented to make risky maneuvers. —SCREENGRAB FROM VIDEO OF BRP EMILIO JACINTO

The “aggressive and unsafe maneuvers” by two Chinese Navy ships near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) early this week posed a direct threat to Philippine vessels and violated international rules, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said on Thursday.

The AFP said the Philippine Navy’s BRP Emilio Jacinto (PS35), a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) ship, and a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel were conducting routine and lawful maritime patrol operations at Panatag when two Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels made dangerous moves.

The Chinese ships were identified as Jiangkai II-class frigates (Type 054A) with bow numbers 554 and 573 and China Coast Guard vessel 5403.

The harassment happened about 22 kilometers southeast of Panatag on May 5.

Panatag, also known as Bajo de Masinloc, which is 220 km west of Zambales, is a resource-rich area that has been declared a traditional fishing ground for Filipinos, Vietnamese and Chinese.

“These reckless actions not only posed a direct threat to the safety of navigation of PS35, but also violated the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs),” the AFP said.

The military expressed its “serious concern over these irresponsible actions by Chinese maritime forces.”

“Such threatening and provocative conduct can lead to misunderstandings that may escalate tensions and impact regional stability,” it said.

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Attempts to obstruct

In 2012, China took control of Panatag, which is well within Manila’s 370-km exclusive economic zone, after a two-month standoff with the Philippine Navy.

“The Chinese frigate BN 554 was documented tailing PS35 at close range, while BN 573 dangerously crossed its bow in a high-risk maneuver that created the danger of collision,” the AFP said.

China Coast Guard vessel 5403 also attempted to obstruct Emilio Jacinto’s navigational path, it added.

Col. Roy Vincent Trinidad, the Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the Chinese Navy ship went as close as 25 meters to Emilio Jacinto.

While this is not the first time a Chinese Navy vessel made dangerous maneuvers against a Philippine Navy ship, Trinidad said the last incident happened about two years ago.

‘Safe and operational’

In a Viber message to the Inquirer, Col. Xerxes Trinidad, the AFP public affairs chief, said Emilio Jacinto “is safe and operational.”

“No harm done to the crew. PS35 continues to perform its mandate, performing lawful maritime operations in the WPS,” he said.

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The Navy official said the maritime patrol at Panatag was conducted “to show that this is part of our mandate, that is our territory, that’s within our sovereignty, we have sovereign rights.”

The AFP assured the public that it would remain steadfast in defending the sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction of the Philippines in its vast maritime domain, including its territorial seas in the WPS, in accordance with international and domestic laws and in pursuit of the rules-based order in the maritime domain.

Diplomatic protest

Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, meanwhile, called China’s actions “not only reckless and dangerous—they are a blatant violation of international maritime norms and an affront to Philippine sovereignty.”

The senator said the “continued presence and intimidation tactics” of Chinese forces in this area are “a clear disregard of the rule of law and an attempt to undermine the peace and security in the West Philippine Sea.”

He once more urged the Department of Foreign Affairs to lodge a “strong diplomatic protest” and called on the Philippines’ allies and international partners to stand with it in condemning this latest “provocation.”

“We will not be cowed. The Filipino people will continue to assert what is rightfully ours under international law,” he said.