The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) criticized China’s Ministry of Defense for allegedly “bullying” Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
In a statement Saturday, Dec. 14, PCG spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela condemned the remarks given by China’s Ministry of Defense Wu Qian that the Philippines, in cahoots with the United States,has been stirring up troubles in the South China Sea.
“Such statements coming from the Ministry of Defense are clear evidence of bullying,” Tarriela said.
The PCG commodore said that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) aims to “suppress the patriotic spirit” of Filipino fishermen from accessing the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) which is rich in marine resource.
He further stated that the PRC is trying to intimidate the Philippine government into withdrawing its humanitarian support for its own fishermen.
“Beijing is escalating its rhetoric by instructing its defense ministry to issue warnings about using stronger countermeasures if our Filipino fishermen and Philippine Coast Guard vessels venture into the West Philippine Sea,” Tarriela said.
The national government, through the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), has intensified support for Filipino fishermen venturing into the WPS.
Fuel and groceries are given to the fishermen whenever humanitarian missions are carried out by the BFAR while being supported by the PCG ships for their security.
But China’s Ministry of Defense considers these as hostile, claiming that the Philippine vessels are intruding into their territorial waters.
“The Philippine side, with US support and solicitation, has been stirring up troubles on many spots in the South China Sea,” Wu was quoted as saying by Chinese media outlet Global Times.
“From Ren’ai Jiao to Xianbin Jiao and from Houteng Jiao to Huangyan Dao, such repeated provocations have allowed the international community to see clearly who is undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea, and who is fabricating and spreading lie,” added Wu, using the Chinese names for Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, Escoda Shoal, Iroquois Reef, and Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal).
Tarriela said that China has been “consistent” in spreading “lies and misinformation” when it comes to asserting their claims in the South China Sea.
“Firstly, they repeatedly assert that the United States supports our presence without providing any evidence of US involvement. Secondly, they accuse us of provoking tensions, when it is, in fact, the monster size China Coast Guard vessels that are the true aggressors against the much smaller PCG vessels engaged in humanitarian missions to protect Filipino fishermen,” Tarriela said.
In July, the PCG had a tense confrontation with the so-called “monster ship” by the China Coast Guard, a 541-foot-long patrol cutter that is regarded as the world’s largest coast guard vessel after the latter maintained an “illegal” presence in the Philippines’ EEZ for several days.
“Lastly, your claims over the waters of Bajo De Masinloc, Escoda Shoal, Rozul Reef, and Sandy Cays are built on falsehoods that you want the world to accept as truth,” Tarriela added.
China has been claiming a majority of South China Sea including some features in the WPS within the 200-nautical mile EEZ of the Philippines. This, despite a 2016 arbitral ruling which invalidated Beijing’s dash-line claims in the South China Sea.