There is no reason for the Philippine government to seek permission from China if it intends to conduct any activity in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), including performing a medical evacuation for sick Filipino soldiers.
This was reiterated by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Saturday, June 8, after China justified its blocking of Philippine boats which were on a medical evacuation (medevac) mission in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal last month.
“The Philippine government is under no obligation to seek permission from a country that has illegally and provocatively deployed their forces within our exclusive economic zone,” PCG spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said.
According to him, China should remember that Ayungin Shoal is located approximately 105 nautical miles (about 194 kilometers) away from the nearest coastline of Palawan, well within the 200-nautical mile EEZ of the Philippines.
“Therefore, China does not have any jurisdiction over these waters,” Tarriela noted.
Last May 19, the PCG assisted the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in evacuating an ill military personnel onboard the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, both of which are claimed by Manila and Beijing.
However, the China Coast Guard (CCG) deployed rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) to block and intentionally ram the Philippine boats carrying the sick Filipino trooper, according to the AFP and PCG.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning justified the CCG’s actions as she claimed this could just be a tactic by the Philippine forces to bring in construction materials to the grounded BRP Sierra Madre, a Philippine Navy warship that has been serving as a military outpost in the disputed shoal.
China has opposed the delivery of construction materials to the dilapidated World War II-era warship.
The Chinese spokesperson further stated that the Philippines must inform China first of its actions in Ren’ai Jiao, the term they call for Ayungin Shoal.
Still, Tarriela insisted that China’s obstruction of a medical evacuation by the Philippines in its own maritime territory “highlights the inhumane actions of the Chinese government, as they demonstrate a disregard for safety and the preservation of life.”
Tarriela earlier described the incident as “barbaric and inhumane.”
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