PCG: Move meant to assert PH sovereignty
THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has installed buoys at five features in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in the South China Sea for purposes of navigational safety and to further assert the country’s sovereignty in these areas.
Vice Joseph Coyme, commander of the PCG’s Maritime Safety Services Command, said the installation of the buoys at Patag, Panata and Kota islands and at Balagtas and Julian Felipe reefs began last Wednesday and was completed on Saturday.
Patag, Panata and Kota islands are among the nine features occupied by Filipino troops in the WPS. Balagtas and Julian Felipe reefs are not occupied features.
Coyme, concurrent commander of the PCG’s Task Force Kaligtasan sa Karagatan, said in a radio interview that Chinese vessels were seen monitoring the buoy-laying operations but they did not disturb the mission.
China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the buoy-laying operations which come amid China’s increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr pursues warmer ties with treaty ally the United States.
China continues to claim sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea even after its claim was invalidated by an international arbitration ruling in 2016. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims in the Spratlys where China has dredged sand to build islands on reefs, and equipped them with missiles and runways.
Beijing has for years deployed hundreds of coast guard and fishing vessels in disputed areas.
China Coast Guard ships and Chinese militia vessels have been frequenting the Julian Felipe Reef. Last month, the PCG spotted over a hundred Chinese vessels at the reef during a routine maritime security patrol.
Coyme said the buoy-laying operations were led by two PCG buoy tenders and secured by several PCG ships.
“Yesterday, we completed the installation of five buoys in the areas of Patag, Balagtas, Panata, Kota and Julian Felipe… They serve as navigational safety for boats during day and night navigation,” said Coyme.
“They also serve as markers (for) sovereign rights because they are within the EEZ (exclusive economic zone), so we can increase our presence, our administration and control over these areas especially in our exclusive economic zone,” added Coyme, referring to the country’s 200-nautical mile EEZ.
Coyme said the installation of the buoys was part of the task force’s mandate to secure “features, fishing grounds and very valuable resources within our country’s EEZ.”
In May last year, the PCG’s Task Force Kaligtasan sa Karagatan installed similar buoys at four other Philippine-occupied features in the WPS — Lawak, Likas, Parola and Pag-asa islands.
Coyme said the installation of the buoys were coordinated with the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, a government body leading efforts to protect national interest in the WPS.
TWO LEFT
The latest installation brings to only two Philippine-held features without PCG-installed buoys. These are Ayungin Shoal where Chinese ships have recently harassed PCG vessels, and Rizal Reef.
On Saturday, a PCG aircraft flew to check the buoys and to conduct maritime patrol.
While approaching Pag-asa Island which is near the Chinese-occupied Subi Reef, Coyme said, the aircraft received the usual radio challenge from the Chinese. He said PCG personnel aboard the aircraft told the Chinese they were merely conducting routine patrol.
On Twitter, PCG spokesman for WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said the PCG’s Task Force Kaligtasan sa Karagatan “achieved another milestone in securing the West Philippine Sea” with the installation of the buoys.
He said Coyme led a maritime domain awareness flight on Saturday “to inspect the newly installed buoys.”
“The installation of these buoys, adorned with the Philippine flag, signifies the country’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the exclusive economic zone,” said Tarriela.
“This move highlights the Philippines’ unwavering resolve to protect its maritime borders and resources and contribute to the safety of maritime trade,” added Tarriela. — With Reuters
