An FB post shows Chinese piracy

I have just viewed a Facebook post showing a footage of the continuing assault by this international bully called Communist China on Philippine territorial sovereignty. In the FB post, some elements of the Chinese Coast Guard approached the Philippine Navy vessel BRP Sierra Madre with unfriendly intentions. BRP, by the way, is the initial to refer to Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas.

Before writing any further about this bullying incident, let me share with you some few things I learned about our navy boat. The BRP Sierra Madre was launched as part of the US Navy towards the tail end of the Second World War. It was identified simply as USS LST-821, the original use of which being to make it as landing ship transport. In 1955, it was given the name USS Harnett County. Later, the Republic of Vietnam acquired it and named it as RVNS My Tho. The ship was transferred to the Philippines, on April 6, 1976 and was named as BRP Sierra Madre. In 1999, this vessel was deliberately grounded in 1999 at the Ayungin Shoal (also known as the Second Thomas Shoal) where it remains in commission as a forward outpost.

The scene of Chinese maritime assets riding rubber boats and going in the direction of our navy vessel as if indicating the belligerent act of boarding it was undoubtedly aggressive and a clear violation of our sovereign rights. The Chinese aggression incensed me and I like to believe that it should touch the nationalism of all Filipinos alike enough to take any move which can at least be deemed as an act of self-protection. More so, when the Chinese seized the supplies that were intended for the crew of BRP Sierra Madre. To me what the Chinese did was not unlike the piracy committed by Lim Ah Hong of long ago.

The incident should spur us to consider some international law principles. First, there is a Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), headquartered at the Peace Palace in Hague, the Netherlands. This international arbitral tribunal has jurisdiction over cases and legal issues involving territorial and maritime boundaries and sovereignty, among others. The Philippines, during the administration of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, claimed jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and lodged a complaint against Communist China for the latter’s incursion into the area. The Philippines won this case and the PCA ruled that the nine-dash line of China has no legal basis. The islands in the WPS were declared to be within the Philippine Exclusive Zone.

Second, the BRP Sierra Madre may be an old asset of the Philippine Navy but it has not been decommissioned. It is listed as a part of the Philippine fleet. As a man-o-war, it sails upon the authority of the government and bound by certain international protocols like the Rules of Engagement which it can apply in relevant situations. Unlike commercial vessels, it, as well as its crew, has the right to be armed and to use its arms for self-defense.

Third, applying all known rules of international relations, the presence of Communist Chinese militia, coast guard and navy and their establishment of military installations in the WPS without the consent and permission of the Philippine government is illegal and can be deemed an act of undeclared war.

Amidst the transgressions committed by China against us, let the Philippine leadership consider that in international law, there are remedies available to us short of war. We must resort to these. Let our officialdom bring to the attention of the world these criminal acts of China. On the part of the civilian population of 110 million and more Filipinos, the least we can do to show that we are aggrieved nation is to boycott everything made in China.