President Marcos slams China air force

For illegal, reckless acts in Panatag

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday condemned what he described as unjustified, illegal and reckless actions of China’s aircraft over Panatag Shoal, as he expressed concern over possible instability in Philippine airspace.

Last Thursday, two aircraft of China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force executed a “dangerous maneuver” and dropped flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force (PAF) NC-212i aircraft conducting a routine maritime patrol over the shoal, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

The incident, which happened at about 9 a.m., threatened the Filipino pilots and crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction, and contravened international law and regulations governing aviation safety, AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said in a statement last Saturday.

The pilots and crew of the NC-212i safely returned to Clark Air Base an hour after the incident.

“The President strongly condemns the air incident in Bajo de Masinloc (Panatag Shoal) earlier this week, and stands by our brave men and women of the AFP, especially the Philippine Air Force,” the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said in a statement.

Marcos said the actions of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force aircraft were “unjustified, illegal and reckless, especially as the PAF aircraft was undertaking a routine maritime security operation in Philippine sovereign airspace.”

“We have hardly started to calm the waters, and it is already worrying that there could be instability in our airspace,” the PCO statement quoted the President as saying.

The Philippines, Marcos said, would remain committed to proper diplomacy and peaceful means of resolving disputes.

“However, we strongly urge China to demonstrate that it is fully capable of responsible action, both in the seas and in the skies,” he added.

Panatag Shoal is located 124 nautical miles from the nearest point in Zambales province. While it is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the shoal has been under China’s control since 2012.

China’s occupation in the shoal started when Chinese surveillance ships protected Chinese poachers from the Philippine Navy.

Since then, there have been numerous reports of Chinese personnel harassing Filipino fishermen, including the taking of their high-value catch from the shoal.

The shoal, a traditional fishing ground of Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese and Taiwanese fishermen, is in the West Philippine Sea, the part of the South China Sea that is within the Philippines’ EEZ and continental shelf.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have overlapping claims.

In 2016, a Hague-based arbitral court voided China’s expansive claim and affirmed the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its 200-nautical mile EEZ. China has refused to recognize the ruling, describing it as illegal and downplaying it as a mere piece of paper.

China’s actions ‘a blatant violation’

Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s reckless and provocative actions against the PAF conducting lawful maritime patrols over Panatag Shoal are unacceptable.

Estrada, chairman of the Senate committee on national defense, said the action must be met with firm and decisive condemnation from the international community.

“We urge the Chinese government to immediately stop this clear act of aggression and adhere to international law. This recent incident is a blatant violation of international aviation safety standards and the rights of all nations to carry out lawful maritime operations,” he said in a statement.

Estrada said, “The dropping of flares in the path of the Philippine Air Force’s NC-212i is an affront to our sovereignty. The Philippines has always advocated for peaceful and diplomatic solutions to territorial disputes with China, and this incident undermines our efforts in de-escalating unnecessary tensions.”

“We will not be intimidated. We will continue to defend our sovereignty with resolve and determination while remaining committed to upholding the rule of law and promoting peace in the region,” he said. — Cecille Suerte Felipe