By Michaela Del Callar
MANILA, March 11 (PNA) — The Philippines on Tuesday called China’s recent act of blocking two Filipino vessels carrying naval personnel and provisions to Manila-controlled Ayungin Shoal off the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) a “clear and urgent threat” as it called on Beijing to stop interfering in its operations in its territory.
China’s acting ambassador was summoned to the Department of Foreign Affairs Tuesday morning to receive the Philippine government’s diplomatic protest, containing Manila’s “objection” to the Chinese action.
It was the second protest handed by the Philippines to China in two weeks. Last Feb. 25, the Philippines accused China of harassing a group of Filipino fishermen off the Scarborough Shoal – another Philippine-claimed feature in the West Philippine Sea – now under Chinese control after a standoff in 2012.
“China’s actions constitute a clear and urgent threat to the rights and interests of the Philippines under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez told a press briefing.
The Philippines also demanded China to “desist from any further interference from the efforts of the Philippines to undertake rotation and re-supply operations at Ayungin Shoal.”
According to Hernandez, this is the first time that China prevented a Philippine supply mission and personnel rotation to Ayungin since it established a presence in the area 15 years ago.
An old Philippine Navy ship – the BRP Sierra Madre – has been grounded at the shoal since 1999. The Philippines posted seven navy personnel there to guard the territory, which is 105.77 nautical miles from the nearest Philippine province of Palawan and constitutes part of the country’s 200-nautical mile continental shelf as provided under the UNCLOS.
UNCLOS is a 1982 accord by 163 nations, including the Philippines and China – that aims to limit maritime boundaries of states.
China, in response, rejected the fresh protest lodged by the Philippines, insisting indisputable and sovereign claim over the shoal, also known by its international name as Second Thomas Shoal.
Based on a report provided to the DFA, Hernandez said the incident happened around 9:30 in the morning of March 9 wherein the two civilian vessels contracted by the Philippine Navy were trailed by two Chinese Coast Guard Vessels with numbers 3112 and 3113.
Thirty minutes later, the Chinese ships tried to block and prevent the Philippine vessels to proceed to Ayungin Shoal, Hernandez said.
At 12:40 p.m., the Chinese Coast Guard demanded the Philippine vessels through a digital signboard, sirens and megaphones “to leave the area,” saying it is “part of their jurisdiction.”
Then at 2:30 p.m., the Philippine vessels decided to abort the re-supply mission and the rotation of personnel in Ayungin Shoal and went back to Palawan, Hernandez said.
Part of the South China Sea within Manila’s territorial boundaries, have been renamed West Philippine Sea by the Philippine government to stressed its claim.
The strategic waters, where a bulk of the world’s trade pass, are said to be sitting atop huge oil and gas reserves and have been the subject of decades-long conflict among China, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.
All claimants have stationed military troops in their claimed areas, except Brunei.
China’s claim covered nearly the entire sea, citing ancient maps and documents to back its assertion.
The Philippines filed a case against China in 2013 before The Hague-based arbitral tribunal to denigrate China’s massive claim. The court will convene to hear Manila’s case soon as its written argument is submitted on or before its deadline on March 30. (PNA)