By Mario J. Mallari
The Daily Tribune
The Daily Tribune
(File Photo)
A senior government security official yesterday revealed China’s aggressive activities in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea), citing the presence of at least 18 Chinese maritime surveillance ships within the Philippine territorial waters. Retired Navy Rear Adml. Vicente Agdamag, deputy director general of the National Security Council Secretariat, detailed Chinese activities within the disputed sea during his talk at the Air Symposium at the Mall of Asia.
He noted that Chinese increased activities in the South China Sea started in March 2011 when the Chinese harassed m/v Veritas Voyager, a Department of Energy-commissioned ship while conducting survey for Forum Energy at Reed Bank, which is located only 85 nautical miles from Palawan.
The retired Navy official also cited the standoff at the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, about 124 nautical miles off Masinloc town in Zambales in April 2012; the July 2012 grounding of Chinese navy frigate at Hasa-Hasa Shoal, which is only 60 nautical miles from Rizal, Palawan.
He also mentioned the harassments against Pagasa Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon, first in October 2012 and lately in May.
Agdamag said China’s establishment of Sansha City in July 2012 and pronouncements by Hainan police last November that they will board foreign vessels passing through the South China Sea also posed concern to the government.
This year alone, Agdamag noted active deployment by Chinese military vessels in the area.
He said last February, a squadron of three People’s Liberation Army (PLA) navy vessels entered South China Sea and “conduct(ed) patrol and training missions.”
The following month, the PLA also dispatched “several modern warships” for naval drill to carry out high sea training missions in Bashi Channel, which is located between the borders of the Philippines near Babuyan Island and Taiwan.
Also in March, China conducted an eight-day military drills along the Spratlys or the Kalayaan Islands Group (KIGs), involving one destroyer, two frigates, an amphibious ship, a hover craft shipboard helicopters, amphibious tanks and land-based fighters.
Agdamag also revealed the sighting of four Chinese maritime surveillance ships with bow numbers 262,263, 72 and 75 and a fishery and law enforcement command (FLEC 302) in Panatag Shoal last April 21.
“Lately, we received reports that surveillance ships are imposing 24 kilometer wide ban on fishing area… in fact, they (Chinese) are imposing an exclusion zone already in Bajo de Masinloc,” he noted.
“Right now, there are 18 maritime surveillance ships operating in our area, from a total of 31 Chinese maritime vessels,” Agdamag said.
He added the NSC is recommending the increase in the budget allotment for the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to attain the government’s goal to have a credible defense posture.
The Aquino administration has allotted P75 billion in the next five years for the capability upgrade program of the AFP.
“Our message to the world is clear, what is ours is ours. We do not wish to increase tensions with anyone but we must let the world know that we are ready to protect what is ours,” Agdamag stressed.
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