Manila, Philippines – The Philippines will file yet another diplomatic protest against China after a water cannon strike in a flashpoint at the West Philippine Sea left three Filipino fishermen injured, a high-ranking official said on Monday, Dec. 15.
National Maritime Council Undersecretary Alexander Lopez said the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is finalizing its formal report that will serve as the basis for the diplomatic protest that will be filed by the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Three Filipino fishermen suffered wounds and bruises, the PCG reported at the weekend, after the China Coast Guard fired water cannons at their fishing boats in an attempt to drive them away from Escoda Shoal, which China calls Xianbin Jiao.
Escoda Shoal, which is 70 nautical miles west off the coast of Palawan, is within the country’s exclusive economic zone or the distance from the country’s baseline extending seaward by 200 nautical miles where it has sovereign rights over natural resources including fish, oil, and natural gas.
There were previous water cannon attacks against fishermen and PCG vessels in the protracted maritime dispute, but the latest by far was the worst and aimed directly at the fisher folk, said Lopez who was former chief of the Western Command.
“Yung nangyari sa Escoda ay talagang malapitan at direkta kaya nasugatan na ang ating mga mangisngisda at nakasira ng kanilang sasakyang pangingisda. Kaya tayo po ay nababahala at kinokondena ang pangyayaring ito,” the National Maritime Council spokesperson said during a state-owned television broadcast on Monday.
[TRANSLATION: The Escoda incident involved a close and direct attack that injured our fishermen and damaged their boats. We find this disturbing and we condemn this incident.]
The PCG said that on Dec. 12, Friday, apart from targeting Filipino fishing boats with water cannons and blocking them with “dangerous” maneuvers, the China Coast Guard sent rigid hull inflatable boats that cut the anchor lines of the Philippine fishing boats amid strong currents and high waves.
In a statement issued over the weekend, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the China Coast Guard said their actions and maneuvers were “necessary control measures” to “expel” Philippine vessels that they claimed “illegally intruded” into the waters of Escoda Shoal or what the Chinese call Xianbin Jiao.
China has been claiming sovereignty over the Nansha Qundao, including Xianbin Jiao, and their adjacent waters, Senior Colonel Tian Junli, a spokesperson for the PLA Southern Theater Command, said in a statement on Friday.
But the Philippine government said China violated Philippine and international laws.
“Illegal ang kanilang presensya sa Escoda Shoal at wala silang karapatang legal base sa international law na magpatupad ng kanilang tinatawag na control measures. Ang kanilang presence sa Escoda Shoal ay nagpapahiwatig pa din ng kanilang ambisyon na sakupin at angkinin ang kabuuan ng South China Sea kasama na dito ang West Philippine Sea,” Lopez said.
[TRANSLATION: Their presence in Escoda Shoal is illegal, and they have no legal right base on international law to enforce what they call ‘control measures.’ Their presence in Escoda Shoal also demonstrates their ambition to conquer and claim the entire South China Sea, including West Philippine Sea.]
The policymaking council asked local fishermen to carry on with their fishing activities in the West Philippine Sea, assuring them of protection against the Chinese PLA and militia vessels.
“Sa ating mga kababayan lalong-lalo na sa ating bagong bayaning mangingisda, sa gabay at pag-uutos ng ating Pangulo, bagama’t meron tayong hinaharap na malaking hamon, wag tayong mangangamba, ipatuloy natin ang ating pangingisda sa West Philippine Sea. Nasa panig po tayo ng legal ng batas,” Lopez said.
“Lahat ng yamang dagat… ay tayong mga Pilipino lang ang dapat makinabang,”he added.
[TRANSLATION: We enjoin our countrymen, especially our modern-day heroes, our fishermen, under the guidance and directive of the President, even as we face an enormous challenge, do not fear, continue fishing in the waters of the West Philippine Sea. The law is on our side.
All the marine resources… we Filipinos only should benefit from.]
