PH tells China to stop 'dangerous actions' as flares fired anew in WPS

The Philippines on Saturday called on Beijing to desist from taking actions that endanger the safety of Philippine vessels and aircraft after flares were recently deployed from China-occupied Subi (Zamora) Reef in the West Philippine Sea.

In a statement, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said, "We firmly reiterate our call on the government of the People's Republic of China to immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions that threaten the safety of Philippine vessels and aircraft engaged in legitimate and regular activities within Philippine territory and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the right of all vessels and aircraft exercising freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea."

"Such actions undermine regional peace and security, and further erode the image of the PRC with the international community," it added.

GMA Integrated News' Joseph Morong earlier reported that an airplane of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) was met with flares at least three times from Zamora Reef on Thursday.

In his exclusive first-person account, Morong said the flares were fired as the BFAR plane circled the artificial island.

The NTF-WPS confirmed the August 22 incident, saying that the flares were "unjustifiably deployed" from Zamora Reef as the BFAR was lawfully conducting a maritime domain awareness flight.

"The People's Republic of China (PRC) launched flares from Zamora Reef, a militarized illegally-reclaimed artificial island by China, within the territorial sea of Pag-asa Island," the task force said.

The NTF-WPS said that the BFAR aircraft, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), was monitoring and intercepting poachers encroaching upon the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the territorial seas of the maritime features constituting the Kalayaan Island Group.

"While the BFAR was conducting the routine patrol, the PRC unjustifiably deployed flares from Zamora Reef," it said.

"This same BFAR aircraft also faced harassment from the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) on August 19 during a similar MDA flight near Bajo de Masinloc," it added.

During the August 19 incident, the NTF-WPS said, the PLAAF fighter jet 63270 engaged in "irresponsible and dangerous maneuvers, deploying flares multiple times at a dangerously close distance of approximately 15 meters from the BFAR Grand Caravan aircraft."

The task force said the Chinese fighter jet was in no way provoked, "yet its actions demonstrated hazardous intent that jeopardized the safety of the personnel onboard the BFAR aircraft."

The NTF-WPS said the Philippines remains steadfast in exercising its rights to strengthen maritime domain awareness within our sovereign territory, national airspace, and EEZ, as well as in the high seas, in accordance with United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitral Award.

GMA News Online has reached out to the Chinese Embassy in Manila for comment about the pronouncements of the NTF-WPS.

'Countermeasures' taken

In an earlier statement, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country took "countermeasures" against two Philippine military aircraft that flew into its airspace.

"On August 22, two Philippine military aircraft trespassed into the airspace near the Nansha Islands, including Zhubi Jiao (Subi Reef), where China is stationed," Beijing's foreign ministry told AFP in a statement.

It added that "the Chinese side took necessary countermeasures in accordance with the law, in order to protect its own sovereignty and security."

The foreign ministry did not specify what types of measures China took, describing the actions as "professional, restrained, and standardized."

"China will continue to firmly protect its own territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, and firmly oppose any infringing actions," it added.

'Irresponsible'

Meanwhile, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada on Saturday said the "irresponsible" deployment of flares during BFAR's mission over Zamora Reef put lives at risk.

Estrada, who chairs the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation, condemned "in the strongest terms" China's firing of the flares.

"Such actions are not only irresponsible but also dangerously provocative. Deploying flares multiple times at a dangerously close distance is neither professional, restrained nor standardized, contrary to China's claims," Estrada said.

The senator added, "It's irresponsible, a blatant violation of international law, and a direct threat to the safety of our personnel. It could have led to serious harm or even loss of lives."

Echoing the call of the NTF-WPS, Estrada likewise urged China "to cease these unlawful and extreme actions immediately."

He also called on the international community to join the Philippines in holding China accountable for its "reckless actions." — VDV, GMA Integrated News