China’s dangerous moves in Scarborough took PH by surprise

The dangerous actions of China air force in Scarborough Shoal took the Philippines by surprise considering their recent talks in deescalating tensions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), an official said on Monday.

“Well, I don't know why they did it, yun ang masasabi ko. They took us by surprise,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said when asked if the incident showed that the talks with China were in bad faith.

During the International Humanitarian Day celebration event in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Manalo said in an ambush interview that the Philippines should pay close attention to these actions by China.

“China has always said it wanted to deescalate but everytime of course may nangyayari na ganito (something happened) certainly it tends to raise tensions so it's something that certainly we have to pay close attention to but yun ang sinasabi nila (but that they were saying),” he said.

“We have to see if they can really help in maintaining a more stable relationship para magdeescalate nang kaunti ang tensions pero everytime something like [this] happens, siyempre you begin to think,” he added.

(We have to see if they can really help in maintaining a more stable relationship to slightly deescalate the tensions but everytime something like this happens, of course you begin to think.)

On Saturday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said that on August 8, two People's Liberation Army Air Force aircraft performed "dangerous and provocative actions" against a Philippine Air Force (PAF) aircraft over the Scarborough Shoal.

The Chinese aircraft executed a dangerous maneuver and dropped flares in the path of a NC-212i PAF propeller aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol over the area.

The National Security Council (NSC) also condemned the incident especially that it was during a routine mission by the Philippine Air Force using a non-combatant aircraft from Clark, Pampanga to Bajo de Masinloc. 

“Yung paggamit ng flare shows a hostile intent…Parang kung anong nangyayari sa dagat parang ginawa rin nila sa himpapawid…. this undermines regional stability,” said NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya in a public briefing. 

(The use of flares shows that there was a hostile intent…So what happens in the sea is also happening in the sky…this undermines regional stability.)

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. later condemned the act, describing it as “unjustified, illegal and reckless.”

“The President strongly condemns the air incident in Bajo de Masinloc earlier this week, and stands by our brave men and women of the AFP, especially the Philippine Air Force,” the Presidential Communications Office said.

“The actions of the People’s Liberation Army - Air Force (PLAAF) aircraft were unjustified, illegal and reckless, especially as the PAF aircraft was undertaking a routine maritime security operation in Philippine sovereign airspace,” it added.

Diplomatic protest

Due to this, Manalo said the Philippines will lodge a diplomatic protest against China over the incident.

“Definitely, we'll protest this latest move na coming at a time na medyo nagka-calm down nang kaunti then bigla na lang nangyari ito, the President has come out very strongly on this and we will maintain that position,” he said.

(Definitely, we'll protest this latest move that is coming at a time when the tension was calming down a little bit then suddenly this incident happened. The President has come out very strongly on this and we will maintain that position.)

In a separate statement, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Teresita Daza said the diplomatic protest will be filed this Monday.

“I was informed a diplomatic protest will be sent within the day,” she said.

Daza said the Philippines has adopted a de-escalatory approach to tensions in the WPS so it remains “committed to diplomacy and peaceful means of resolving disputes.”

The National Task Force West Philippine Sea (NTF WPS) called on China to stop its aggression in the region. As far as the task force is concerned, the Philippine military acted with focus, restraint, and professionalism during the incident.

“Just when the waters of the WPS seemed to show calm, the airspace above it was disturbed with acts of aggression. Our pilots and crew responded with focus, restraint, and professionalism, unfazed by the aggressive PLAAF jets,” it said.

“Thus, we call on the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to cease all forms of provocative and hazardous acts that could undermine the safety of Filipino military and civilian personnel in the waters or in the skies, destabilize regional peace, and erode the trust and confidence of the international community in the PRC,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the National Maritime Council will discuss the latest incident, which he said was not alarming as the Philippines should expect this pattern of actions by China.

“They will stick to their narrative na alam natin there is no support whatsoever. All they have on their side is brute force and might and that's what they're gonna do. Hopefully, they listen to reason and heed the appeals of not only the Philippines but other countries to temper their moves and act in accordance with international law,” he said.

“I do not think it's alarming. It’s a response that we should need to be acclimated to,” he added.

After the incident, AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. advised PAF pilots not to be afraid and continue their operations in the WPS.

“Nagbilin po tayo sa ating mga piloto na huwag matakot at ituloy-tuloy po natin yung ginagawa nating maritime patrol in the area because that is our right. We have been doing this for more than three decades already,” Brawner said.

(We have instructed our pilots not to be afraid and let us continue our maritime patrol in the area because that is our right. We have been doing this for more than three decades already.)

“Noong nawala po yung mga base militar ng mga Amerikano dito, tayo na ang naging lead sa pagpatrolya ng ating maritime and sovereign areas,” he added.

(When the American military bases left, we became the lead in patrolling our maritime and sovereign areas.)

Scarborough Shoal is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is considered within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Scarborough Shoal is also referred to by the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis." China has not recognized the decision. — RSJ/RF, GMA Integrated News