Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to resist China’s “dangerous and reckless” behavior in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), following a disrupted resupply mission in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal that led to injuries of Filipino troops.
The AFP attempted to bring fresh food supplies and other provisions to troops manning the BRP Sierra Madre outpost in Ayungin Shoal early Monday, June 17, but the mission was intercepted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), China Coast Guard (CCG), and Chinese maritime militia (CMM) vessels, according to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
The Chinese maritime forces “engaged in dangerous maneuvers, including ramming and towing,” the task force said.
“China’s dangerous and reckless behavior in the West Philippine Sea shall be resisted by the AFP,” Teodoro said in a statement on Monday night.
The defense chief said China’s behavior “contravenes their [China's] statements of good faith and decency.”
He said the recent actions by China should prove to the international community that they “are the true obstacles to peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
“We will exert our utmost in order to fulfill our sworn mandate to protect our territorial integrity, sovereignty, and sovereign rights,” the defense chief noted.
NTF-WPS chairman and National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año strongly condemned the “illegal, aggressive, and reckless actions” of the Chinese forces.
“Their actions put at risk the lives of our personnel and damaged our boats, in blatant violation of international law, particularly the United Nations Charter, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” he said.
Anti-trespass rule in effect?
The DND and AFP remained mum on the specific details of the June 17 resupply mission.
Even the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), which supported the operation, distanced itself and left the military to speak about it, raising questions on the consistency of the “transparency initiative” of the national government.
However, despite the lack of information from the Philippine side, China Coast Guard (CCG) spokesperson Gan Yu attributed the actions of their coast guard to CCG Order No. 3 which took effect on June 15.
China’s Order No. 3 empowers the CCG to detain foreign nationals supposedly “trespassing” into the areas it claims in the South China Sea (SCS), including parts of the WPS.
China Daily, a Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-owned newspaper, quoted Gan as saying that Chinese forces boarded the AFP resupply boats and conducted an “inspection” onboard, before driving the Philippine vessels away from Ren'ai Reef, their local name for Ayungin Shoal.
This corroborated a report from Palawan News quoting an unnamed source, saying that the Chinese forces boarded one of the resupply boats and seized the firearms of the Philippine Navy (PN) personnel onboard. One of the troops from the Naval Special Operations Group (NAVSOG) reportedly lost one of his fingers during the confrontation, while Chinese forces also punched holes in the resupply boats which rendered them immobile.
The DND, AFP and PCG did not respond to queries about details of the June 17 mission as of this writing.
If confirmed, it was the first time that Chinese forces have boarded Philippine boats and seized firearms of the troops during an AFP mission in the WPS, providing a chilling effect into future missions that will be undertaken by the Philippine military.
This coincided with the recent implementation of CCG Order No. 3 two days before the said resupply mission.
But American maritime security analyst Ray Powell believes that the new regulation should be unrelated to the AFP resupply mission in Ayungin Shoal.
“China's new coast guard regulation should be unrelated to the resupply missions, as those are military activities. Were China to detain military personnel that would be a very serious escalation,” Powell told the Manila Bulletin.
Group sail before the disaster
A day before the resupply mission, the AFP even conducted a multilateral maritime activity (MCA) with the United States Navy (USN), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) in the WPS on June 16.
This was the second MCA by the four countries, following a similar activity in April.
AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. said the MCA "underscores our commitment to regional stability and security."
"This collaboration enhances our capabilities and interoperability with allies and partners, enabling us to effectively address common maritime challenges and demonstrate our shared dedication to upholding international law and the rules-based international order, as well as ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific," Brawner said in a statement on Tuesday.
The vessels involved in the group sail were the Philippine Navy's Gregorio del Pilar-class patrol ship BRP Andres Bonifacio (PS-17), the US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114), the JMSDF Murasame-class destroyer JS Kirisame (DD-104), and the RCN Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montreal (FFH 336).
PCG deploys patrol ships in Bajo de Masinloc
Meanwhile, PCG Commandant, Admiral Ronnie Gil L Gavan ordered the deployment of two vessels – BRP Malapascua (MRRV-4403) and BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407) – to patrol and ensure the safety of Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough or Panatag Shoal) amid the implementation of CCG Order No. 3.
The two ships were fielded at 30.8 nautical miles southeast off Bajo de Masinloc, joining the maritime operations of BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) off Escoda (Sabina) Shoal and the vicinity waters of Palawan.
BRP Sindangan (MRRV-4407) monitored the shadowing of CCG vessel with bow number “3106” at approximately 800 yards from its starboard bow, as well as two more CCG vessels in the vicinity waters off Bajo de Masinloc during a routine maritime patrol, PCG spokesperson Rear Adm. Armando Balilo said.