Imee Marcos calls for fairness in monitoring of Philippine EEZ

Following Senator Imee Marcos' disclosure that United States Air Force planes landed in the country, the senator called for fairness in the monitoring of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

Citing the global flight tracker of AirNav Systems, Marcos said a C-17 Globemaster from Guam landed in Manila past 6 a.m. on Friday. It was bound for Palawan before 1 p.m., passing through Pampanga, Cagayan, and Batanes, before landing in the Yokoto Airbase in Japan.

Another C-17 plane — used for both cargo and for training — which departed Tokyo, Japan on Friday evening was said to have been spotted yesterday in Busuanga and Polillo Island.

“Alam kong may foreign military exercises ngayong buwan, pero dapat maging patas ang pagsubaybay sa ating maritime territory at EEZ (exclusive economic zone) gayundin ang Philippine air traffic rules at joint military agreement natin sa US,” Marcos said in Mav Gonzales' Sunday report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend.”

“Konti lamang ang nakakaalam sa isinasagawang US military activity sa ating teritoryo habang patuloy naman nating pinupuna ang presensya ng mga barko ng China sa South China Sea,” she added.

(I know that there are foreign military exercises this month, but we must be fair in monitoring our maritime territory and the EEZ, as well as the Philippine air traffic rules and the joint military agreement with the US.

Only a few know about the ongoing US military activity in our territory while the presence of Chinese ships in the South China Sea continues to be criticized.)

Marcos, who also heads the Committee on Foreign Relations, earlier criticized the arrival of a US military plane at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which was not coordinated with ground handlers.

In a statement, Marcos said the US Embassy in the Philippines admitted that while the aircraft had an approved diplomatic clearance from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the US flight planners did not coordinate with NAIA ground handlers in advance.

Marcos has also called on the DFA, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Department of National Defense to look into the flying activities and if these worsen the ongoing conflict over contested areas in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. — Jon Viktor Cabuenas/DVM, GMA Integrated News