Philippines sends note verbale to China over water cannon use in Ayungin Shoal

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Monday said a note verbale was sent to Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian following the latest incident in Ayungin Shoal where the Chinese Coast Guard used water cannon and performed alleged dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels.

"The usual, ang ating Secretary of Foreign Affairs ay pinuntahan si Ambassador Huang ngayong araw at nagdala ng isa pang note verbale kasama na ang mga picture, mga video kung ano ang mga pangyayari at titingnan natin kung ano ang kanilang magiging sagot ngunit sa atin," Marcos told reporters when asked for the government's response on the recent incident in Ayungin Shoal.

[The usual, our Secretary of Foreign Affairs went to see Ambassador Huang today and brought another note verbale together with pictures, videos of what transpired and we will wait for their reply.]

"Actually today, pagkatapos ng change of command ng sa CGPA ay magkakaroon kami ng command conference tungkol nga dito, on how we will respond," he added.

[Actually today, after the change of command in the Army, we will have a command conference regarding the incident, and how we will respond.]

Marcos refused to further discuss the operational aspects of the matter, but ensured that the Philippine government will continue to assert its territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea.

DFA summons China envoy

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), for its part, summoned Huang to strongly protest the actions of the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG).

The Chinese ambassador met on Monday morning with senior Philippine diplomats, who conveyed Manila's deep  concern over the incident and stressed the violations committed by the CCG under international law, insiders told GMA News Online.

The DFA has yet to provide further details.

On Sunday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that the CCG used water cannons against its vessels going to Ayungin Shoal on Saturday for a resupply mission.

These PCG vessels were escorting indigenous boats chartered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to deliver food, water, fuel, and other supplies to military troops stationed on BRP Sierra Madre.

The CCG said it had taken "necessary controls" against Philippines boats that had "illegally" entered its waters.

"Two repair ships and two coast guard ships from the Philippines illegally broke into the waters... in China's Nansha Islands," CCG spokesperson Gan Yu was quoted as saying in an Agence France-Presse report, adding that Beijing had "implemented necessary controls in accordance with the law and stopped Philippine ships carrying illegal building materials."

Several countries  — led by the United States, Australia, Japan, and Canada — expressed support for Manila and criticized China's actions, the latest in the string of several reported incidents of harassment against Philippine vessels this year.

A Philippine Naval vessel – the BRP Sierra Madre – has been grounded at Ayungin shoal since 1999. The ship manned by more than a dozen Marines and sailors has become a symbol of Philippine sovereignty in the offshore territory.

Ayungin is located 105.77 nautical miles from the nearest Philippine province of Palawan and constitutes part of the country’s 200-nautical mile continental shelf as provided under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

Communication with China

In the midst of asserting the country's sovereign rights, Marcos said the Philippines would continue to communicate with China in order to reach a conclusion on the disputes.

"We continue to assert our sovereignty, we continue to assert our territorial rights in the face of all these challenges and consistent with the international law and UNCLOS especially... that is always been our stand but we still have to keep communicating with the Chinese government, with President Xi [Jinping], with Beijing because we really need to come to a conclusion," Marcos said.

"Ang nagiging position ng China siyempre sinasabi nila kami ang may-ari nito eh pinagtatanggol namin. Eh tayo naman sinasabi namin kami ang may-ari nito, pinagtatanggol namin, kaya't yun ang nagiging gray area ngayon," he added.

(The position of China is that they own the territory but we are also insisting that it is ours. That's the gray area.)

Videos

The PCG earlier released videos of the August 5 incident wherein the CCG used water cannon and performed alleged dangerous maneuvers against Philippine vessels going to the Ayungin Shoal.

In one of the videos, a CCG vessel was seen blasting a water cannon in the direction of a PCG vessel. In another video, a CCG vessel was seen directly in front of a PCG vessel, blocking its path.

According to PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela, "[S]uch by the CCG not only disregarded the safety of the PCG crew and the supply boats but also violated international law."

Marcos said he is thankful that no one was hurt in the incident.

"Buti naman walang nasaktan, walang injury, ngunit magkukulang ang supply na dinala sa Sierra Madre ngayon," he said. 

PH's victory

In 2013, the Philippines challenged China’s legal basis for its vast claim in the South China Sea before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. Manila won the case in a landmark award in 2016 after the tribunal invalidated Beijing’s assertions.

China has ignored and belittled the ruling, maintaining “indisputable” and “historical” claim over nearly the entire waters even as it encroaches on the territories of its smaller neighbors like the Philippines.

For years, the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, and China have been locked in territorial disputes in the South China Sea, a vital sea lane where oil and natural gas have been discovered.

China has since beefed up its reclamation activities in other disputed areas and transformed previously submerged features into artificial islands with multi-level buildings and runways. It has also installed surface-to-air missiles in these areas, triggering concerns from countries, such as the US, Japan and Australia. — RSJ/KBK, GMA Integrated News