PH Air Force capable of escorting aircraft operating in WPS — spox

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) said Tuesday it is capable of sending assets to support other Philippine aircraft operating in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) following the recent dangerous moves of a Chinese military chopper in the area.

PAF spokesperson Colonel Ma. Consuelo Castillo said the possible deployment of aircraft would depend on the decision of higher ups.

"Whenever we are called upon to deploy our air assets to support other aircraft operating, be it civilian aircraft or another military aircraft, the Air Force is capable," she said in a press briefing.

"It will depend on higher headquarters' guidance," she added.

Castillo noted that this move would need operational considerations in terms of logistics and sustainment because WPS is far from the normal operating area of PAF assets.

"If there will be future policies, definitely we have to consider a lot of things to ensure the operational readiness and sustainment of the operations of our aircraft. Remember, that's quite a huge distance from our usual area of operations," she said.

"Our helicopters are capable of ship deck operations, so if there's an available ship where our aircraft can safely land. We have been training with the Philippine Navy for ship deck operations so that operation is possible,” she added.

On February 18, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) reported that a helicopter of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) approached a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aircraft as close as three meters during a maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight over Bajo de Masinloc.

PCG spokesperson for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said this was the "most dangerous" action of the Chinese military so far.

In a statement, the PLA Southern Theater Command said the Philippines was spreading "false narratives" as regards the incident.

"On February 18, a Philippine C-208 reconnaissance aircraft illegally intruded into China's territorial airspace over Huangyan Dao without permission of the Chinese government. Moreover, the Philippine side spread false narratives by talking black into white," spokesperson Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli said.

Tensions continue as 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.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country's claim.

The West Philippine Sea refers to the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago including Luzon Sea and the waters around, within and adjacent to the Kalayaan Island Group and Bajo de Masinloc.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the 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 refused to recognize the decision. — VDV, GMA Integrated News