ACT-Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said the Coast Guard’s presence at the shoal might deter Chinese authorities from harassing Filipino fishermen in the disputed waters.
“The mere presence of government forces, even civilian forces there, will change the [situation] and can make the Chinese forces think twice before doing what they did,” Tinio said in a press briefing.
“Siyempre dahil mag-isa lang, yung mga mangingisda natin doon, mas madaling nagawa yung pag-bomba sa kanila ng water cannon. Pero kung may puwersa ng gobyerno natin doon, baka maiba yung situwasyon,” he added.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista revealed on Monday that a Chinese coast guard vessel drove away two Filipino fishing vessels from the area last January 27 by firing water cannons at them.
President Benigno Aquino III has demanded an explanation from China regarding the incident and directed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to file a “diplomatic message.”
The Chinese Embassy in Manila, however, rejected the Philippine protest and declared it has “indisputable sovereignty” over the waters where the incident occurred.
The Philippine government has declared that the shoal, which is facing the South China Sea, is within the country’s exclusive economic zone as mandated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – an agreement signed by 163 nations, including China.
Scarborough, located 124 nautical miles from Masinloc town in Zambales and 472 nautical miles from China’s nearest coastal province of Hainan, is called Panatag or Bajo de Masinloc by the Philippines and referred to as Huangyan Island by the Chinese.
Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon has condemned China’s boldness in claiming Scarborough Shoal as its own, describing it as “an act of bullying” that the Philippine government should neither tolerate nor ignore.
Ridon said Philippine officials should not allow China to get away with harassing Filipino fishermen in the area.
“China’s continued provocation in the disputed waters… further escalates rather than resolve the tensions between Manila and Beijing,” he said in a statement.
Tinio, meanwhile, said similar incidents of harassment can be avoided if the government commits to deploy at least one Coast Guard vessel in Scarborough Shoal to help diffuse tension in the area.
“Kahit sabihin nating luma ang mga gamit ng ating Coast Guard, mas mabuti yung may presensya ang gobyerno para protektahan ang ating mga ordinaryong mangingisda kaysa ‘yung sila lang mag-isa ang nandoon,” he said. — Xianne Arcangel/KBK, GMA News
