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HEADLINES
Ph won't fire 1st shot vs CCG
By J.Lo
"What they did was piracy, pambabastos, panggagago, barbaric… I call them band of barbarians and in the first place they have no right to wear uniform," Philippine Navy spokesman Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said no way "barbaric" Chinese can provoke Filipinos into firing first shot that could ignite deadly confrontation at sea or worse.
In an interview with reporters, Trinidad said China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel behaved like pirates and barbarians when they disrupted resupply mission for troops on BRP Sierra Madre through dangerous high-speed ramming attacks and use of bladed weapons, apparently in bid to provoke Filipinos into fighting back.
Chinese even forcibly boarded Philippine boats, leaving several Filipinos injured during scuffle.
Trinidad said while CCG had missile boats, Chinese apparently did not intend to not use them because they "would like to push us to fire first shot, yun ang labanan diyan."
He said military is now back to drawing board to prepare for another rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to Ayungin Shoal, still mindful of China's scheme to push Philippines to make mistake of firing first shot.
The Navy spokesman said Chinese also stole seven high-powered firearms, punctured rigid haul inflatable boats of Armed Forces of the Philippines, stole personal cellular phones, smashed communications equipment, and destroyed overboard motors.
"Coast guard men are supposed to be responsible for safety of life at sea…their actions endanger life at sea…it does not speak well of country that want to be global power," he said.
Trinidad said other countries that had witnessed or become aware of June 17 incident should now be very careful with dealing with China as Chinese would not hesitate to commit barbarity against other nationalities.
He said military is now doing more planning to put in place changes that would ensure success of subsequent RORE missions.
"We have to understand what happened at the ground level is just microcosm of bigger picture… bigger picture is China has encroached into our EEZ and into EEZ of other countries to their 10-dash-line… bigger picture," Trinidad said, noting that China's expansive claims had already been debunked by 2016 Arbitral Award.
"Now how do we ensure that this will not happen again…we cannot because they dictate their actions…what we could do is to prepare our men, equip them appropriately. If you noticed, they mismatch…we abide by rules, our approach is always rules-based, our approach is guided by rules of engagement, our approach is aboveboard, above ground, which everyone can see," he stressed.
He maintained Filipinos tasked to protect country's territorial waters would exercise restraint to the fullest.
"Their actions are escalatory but this will always be below threshold of conflict... this will not erupt into firefight because Chinese thought is to win without fighting….so we have to understand that… gagawa siya ng mga paraan na ikaw ang magkakamali…so they'll devise plan to make us commit a mistake…if that's case, what's your protection…all your actions should be within bounds of law," he explained.
Trinidad emphasized Philippine Navy personnel involved in last Monday's confrontation had been instructed that use of force to accomplish mission "is not authorized unless in self defense."
In statement, PCG said its commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan bestowed "Distinguished Coast Guard Cross and Ribbon" on crew of its two multi-role response vessels (MRRVs) BRP Cabra and BRP Bagacay.
Simple awarding was held at Buliluyan Port in Bataraza, Palawan.
Two Coast Guard vessels have been providing security assistance to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)'s during its resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre aground in Ayungin Shoal.
"I think we did our part. ..we provided rescue activity required, we provided medical aid, and the towing of boats which were destroyed…our role was limited to that," Gavan said.
He stressed PCG "will remain calm, professional and determined in pursuing peaceful and rules-based order in this part of the world.
"We will leverage strength of PCG which is humanitarian, unarmed service, we will continue to do so to make sure South China Sea, or West Philippine Sea, will remain conducive for Filipinos to live in accordance with our own way of life," Gavan pointed out.
In post on X, PCG Commodore Jay Tarriela said China will continue asserting its claims in West Philippine Sea whether next elected president is pro-Beijing or not.
"Whether elected president is pro-Beijing or takes stance against Chinese aggression, People's Republic of China will persist in advancing their creeping invasion of West Philippine Sea, pro-Beijing president would choose to remain silent about it, while patriotic president would expose illegal presence, provocative actions, and bullying tactics, similar to President @bongbongmarcos who employs transparency in addressing these issues," he wrote on his X account mentioning Chief Executive's X account.
PCG has been advocating transparency in its campaign to deter Chinese encroachment.
"If an administration stands up to China, the latter will apply pressure and escalate tensions… China then decreases tensions deliberately when Beijing-friendly government is in power," he said.
Meanwhile, Japan Self Defense Force (JSDF) Chief of Joint Staff Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida has declared support for Philippines concerning recent incident in Ayungin Shoal.
"JSDF always stands on the side of AFP, and JSDF will deepen its cooperation with Philippines and like-minded countries," Yoshida was quoted as telling AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. during teleconference.
Brawner, for his part, expressed his gratitude to JSDF for its continued support for AFP.
"We are very thankful for support that Japan is giving us... Japan was one of the first countries gave its support condemning actions of CCG," he said. -
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