PCG maintains need to deploy boats in resupply mission to not provoke China

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday stressed the need to rely on supply boats during resupply operations at the BRP Sierra Madre so as to not escalate tensions with China and provoke them or any other claimant countries in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela explained that the Philippine government wants to prove that it is aligning with the norm of not militarizing the dispute in the WPS by not using Navy vessels in the resupply missions.

“We don’t want to escalate the tension. We don’t want to provoke anybody whether it’s China or any other claimant states. We want to show the world that we are in alignment with the regional norm of not militarizing the dispute and we’re not also going to violate any provision that would say we are still using military or Navy vessels in supporting our resupply mission,” he said in an ANC interview.

On Friday, the PCG successfully entered Ayungin Shoal after evading several China Coast Guard vessels and Chinese militia vessels.

This allowed them to go near the BRP Sierra Madre and see the latest state of the grounded active naval post.

The PCG escorted two boats on a resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II ship grounded at the shoal since 1999 that stands as a symbol of the Philippines’ claim to the WPS.

Tarriela maintained that for the part of the PCG and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), they believe that they are still carrying out safe routine operations when it comes to the resupply mission at the BRP Sierra Madre.

“The only problem and consideration that we need to have is whether the Chinese Coast Guard or Chinese maritime militia would be that aggressive to carry out direct ramming or possible collision,” he said.

“But we are putting much weight on our alignment with the regional norm that we’re not going to militarize this particular operation,” he added.

A China Coast Guard vessel fired a water cannon on Friday at M/L Kalayaan while it was on its way to Ayungin Shoal.

Philippine officials quickly condemned the incident and asked the involved Chinese vessel to immediately leave Ayungin Shoal.

‘Test of nerve’

Former US Air Force official and ex-Defense Attaché Ray Powell said that it might take a little while for China to change its behavior with regards to resupply missions in the Ayungin Shoal.

China calls the Ayungin Shoal as Ren’ai Jiao, considering it a part of China’s Nansha Islands.

“So far, I think China believes that it can outlast the Philippines here. That if they simply hold the line, eventually what would happen is either the Philippines will just give up on this or the Sierra Madre will break up and slide off the shore,” Powell said.

“However, this is not going away anytime soon unless one of those two things happen. So I think both the Philippines and China are probably potentially looking into a long term situation where every resupply mission is going to look like this until somebody decides to change course. So, it’s to some degree, it’s a test of nerve,” he continued.

Washington has repeatedly said it stands by its 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) commitments with the Philippines if Filipinos come under an armed attack in the disputed waters.

The MDT, a 1951 defense pact signed between Manila and Washington, binds the two allies to come to each other’s aid from aggression and help defend the other party.

Although not a party to the disputes, the US maintained that keeping the South China Sea – a major trade route – open and accessible was within its national interest.—Giselle Ombay/AOL, GMA Integrated News