The giant Chinese balloon suspected to be a surveillance aircraft that was shot down by the United States in its airspace could be the same unidentified flying object (UFO) that was monitored flying over Pangasinan last year, a security expert suggested Sunday, Feb. 5.

This handout photo from Chase Doak taken on February 1, 2023 and released on February 2 shows a suspected Chinese spy balloon in the sky over Billings, Montana. The Pentagon said February 2 it was tracking a Chinese spy balloon flying high over the United States, reviving tensions between the two countries just days ahead of a rare visit to Beijing by the top US diplomat. (Chase DOAK / AFP)

The US Department of Defense said an American F-22 fighter jet shot down the balloon with a missile about six nautical miles off the US coast on Saturday (US time), raising concerns that it might trigger an adverse reaction from China as the latter insisted that the aircraft was a civilian weather balloon used for meteorological purposes.

“Dalawa po ang versions niyan: una sinabi ng China nag-apologize siya, nagkamali lang daw ho, nag went off course ‘yung air balloon. Nag-apologize siya at sinabi na civilian ‘yan (There are two versions: first, China apologized and said they made a mistake, that their air balloon went off course. They apologized and said it was a civilian ),” Professor Renato De Castro, from the Department of International Studies of the De La Salle University (DLSU), said in a radio interview with dzBB.

But De Castro said the balloon flew over Montana where America contains its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), which is why the United States military suspected that it was a spy aircraft.

“Ang version naman ng Amerika, maaari raw ho itong reconnaissance operation (America’s version says that it might be a reconnaissance operation),” he noted.

De Castro recalled an incident on Dec. 18, 2022 where an unidentified flying object described by witnesses as a “flying balloon” was monitored over Pangasinan. A similar sighting was reported in Baguio days later.

“Nili-link ko ito sa reports ng Philippine Air Force na may unidentified aircraft na pumasok sa Pangasinan mula Bolinao (I am linking this to the reports of the Philippine Air Force that there was an unidentified aircraft that entered Pangasinan from Bolinao),” De Castro said.

“Baka pareho lang ho, una tinest muna sa atin at tinignan ang Pangasinan. Mayroon pong reports ang Philippine Air Force dahil operational na ho ang air defense system natin (It might be the same, perhaps it was first tested to us and they monitored Pangasinan. There were reports from the Philippine Air Force because our air defense system is already operational),” he added.

But Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar could not confirm De Castro’s claim.

“We cannot comment on unverified information,” Aguilar told the Manila Bulletin.

The PAF, on the other hand, has yet to issue a comment on the matter.

Security implications

The sighting and shooting down of the suspected spy balloon might further escalate the tension between China and the United States, including their power struggle in the South China Sea, according to De Castro.

But this could also be an opportunity for the current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to stand its ground against China’s “bullying” in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“Sana lumakas ang loob ng ating gobyerno. Panahon na para ipakita sa kanila na hindi tayo pwede i-bully (I wish that our government will be brave. It’s high time that we show them we cannot be bullied),” he stressed.

De Castro said that former president Rodrigo Duterte “made a mistake” in appeasing China and moving away towards the United States, a long-time Philippine ally, thinking that doing so would improve the situation in the WPS by avoiding conflict with Beijing.

“Wala ho tayong nakuhang concession. The last few months ng kanyang administration, narealize niya bumangga siya sa pader ( the last few months of his administration, he realized that he bumped into a wall),” De Castro said. “China will never extend any extension to us whether we appease China or challenge China.”

“What is the only option now? Ito ang nakikita ng bagong administration, dapat na tayong pumalag sa pamamagitan ng paglapit sa alliance at ina-nnounce ni President Bongbong Marcos last December na susuportahan niya ang modernization ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (The new administration sees that we should resist by turning to our alliance and President Bongbong Marcos announced last December that he would support the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines),” De Castro emphasized.

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