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PCG confident China won't fire water cannon at 'Atin Ito' convoy
PCG confident China won't fire water cannon at 'Atin Ito' convoy
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) expressed confidence on Monday, May 26, that the civilian convoy of the civic-society group Atin Ito Coalition will not be subjected to water cannon harassment by Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Despite its notoriety for firing water cannon at Philippine vessels, the China Coast Guard (CCG) will not dare shoot jets of water at MV Kapitan Felix Oca which set sail for Atin Ito's third civilian mission to the WPS that features a sea concert promoting peace, unity, and solidarity in the contested waters.
“I don't think that the Chinese Coast Guard and even the Chinese Maritime Militia will carry out such aggressive action to counter the civil society [group],” PCG spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a press conference in Manila.
In the previous civilian missions of Atin Ito in 2023 and 2024, Tarriela stated that China's sole response was to boost the presence of its maritime forces to obstruct the Philippine convoy and “break the spirit” of the civilian volunteers from reaching the WPS.
“To expect that the Chinese government will do that kind of aggressive action in that violent way, I don't think that they are going to do that because this is a civil society [group]. They also know that once they do that kind of response against a civilian-led initiative or activity where we have local media and international media on board, they will be heavily criticized in different parts of the world,” the commodore added.
Tarriela said the Philippine government is supportive of Atin Ito’s initiative because they are “really creating a problem for the People’s Republic of China.”
“The Chinese government is already having trouble how can they be able to prevent these civil societies from creating massive information and awareness internationally. And we're just looking at the Philippines,” he said.
“What if Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and even Brunei will also have their own civil society movement to create awareness among their own people? It will be disastrous for the People’s Republic of China to counter this kind of operation,” he added.
The PCG has deployed BRP Melchora Aquino, a 97-meter multi-role response vessel, and BRP Malapascua, a 44-meter patrol ship, to escort Atin Ito's vessel, MV Kapitan Felix Oca. Around 50 civilian vessels boarded the ship for the said mission.
The convoy of Atin Ito departed Manila on Sunday and reached El Nido, Palawan on Monday morning. A pre-departure musical event was scheduled in El Nido on Monday night.
From El Nido, the mission will proceed to the general vicinity of Pag-asa (Thitu) Island on May 27 for the historic sea concert featuring local and international artists including renowned folk artist and Atin Ito supporter Noel Cabangon, acclaimed Filipino act Ebe Dancel, all-women rock band Rouge, rap collective Morobeats, and P-pop group HORI7ON.
They will be joined by Japanese artist Fumi, Indonesian and Malaysian musicians Viona and Kai Mata, and South Korean K-pop girl group I:Mond.
Last week, a China Coast Guard vessel fired water cannon and sideswiped a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel that was conducting a marine scientific research near Pag-asa Cay 2 (Sandy Cay).
Atin Ito convenor Rafaela David said the peace concert at sea is the group’s way of standing up to aggressors in the WPS.
“This is our way to show, highlight, and amplify the voices of those who are most affected – from the fisherfolk to frontliners who are bearing the brunt of what China is doing in our own seas,” she said in a separate press conference in Palawan.
National Security Council (NSC) Asst. Director-General Jonathan Malaya explained that it is the responsibility of the PCG to ensure the security of the Atin Ito convoy even though the mission is a civilian-led initiative and the government is not originally involved in the preparations.
“Since we know that there are tension in the West Philippine Sea, it was incumbent upon the Philippine Coast Guard to provide that escort upon their [Atin Ito’s] request. The government is just there to ensure that they are properly escorted since they are Philippine citizens and it’s the responsibility of the Philippine Coast Guard to assist them if ever there are tensions that may arise because of their presence in the area,” he said.