The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), chaired by National Security Adviser Eduardo M. Año, will convene on Monday, March 25, after the recent hostile actions done by Chinese vessels during a rotation and reprovision (RoRe) mission in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
The NTF-WPS will meet with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin to submit to President Marcos its recommendations on what the national government’s next course of action will be after China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels conducted dangerous maneuver and fired water cannon towards Unaizah May 4 (UM4), a civilian supply boat that was bringing fresh provisions for soldiers manning the BRP Sierra Madre outpost on Saturday, March 23.
The incident caused severe damage to UM4 and injuries to several personnel on board, said National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Jonathan Malaya.
“The National Security Adviser and Chairperson of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) has requested the convening of a meeting on Monday with the Executive Secretary and the National Security Cluster for purposes of making recommendations to the President,” Malaya said.
“The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) latest acts of unprovoked aggression, coercion, and dangerous maneuvers against a legitimate and routine Philippine RoRe mission to Ayungin Shoal have once again placed at risk, caused severe damage to property, and caused physical harm to Filipinos on board UM4,” he added.
As the boat was rendered immobile after the incident, a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) from BRP Sierra Madre was deployed to fetch the provisions for the troops as well as six Philippine Navy personnel from the damaged vessel.
Despite the incident, the AFP completed the mission as the supplies were brought to the soldiers on board BRP Sierra Madre, ensuring their survivability for the next couple of weeks.
The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines defended the water cannon attack as it accused UM4 of bringing construction materials to fix the dilapidated BRP Sierra Madre.
The NTF-WPS expressed disappointment on China’s aggression against the civilian vessel, saying it contradicted their posturing that they are for diplomacy in settling territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
“The systematic and consistent manner in which the PRC [People’s Republic of China] continues to carry out these illegal and irresponsible actions belies its hollow claims to peace, dialogue, and adherence to international law,” Malaya said.
He said the dangerous maneuvers and use of water cannon against Philippine vessels sailing in the waters belonging to the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) only showed that China “recognizes no reasonable or legal restraint nor limitation upon its actions under international law.”
On the other hand, Malaya said the Philippine government will continue to “act peacefully and responsibly” in adherence with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award, which invalidated China’s claims in the South China Sea.
“Peace and stability cannot be achieved without due regard for the legitimate, well-established, and legally settled rights of others,” he said.