MANILA, Philippines- Inihayag ng Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) na may tatlong vessel ng People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ng Tsina ang namatan sa territorial waters ng Pilipinas.
Ayon sa WestMinCom, ang tatlong Chinese warships, unang na-monitor sa West Philippine Sea (WPS), araw ng Linggo, ay pumasok sa territorial waters ng Pilipinas na naglayag sa pamamagitan ng Mindoro Strait patungong Sulu Sea.
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines has identified the three PLA vessels as one Renhai Class Cruiser Guided Missile, one Jiankai Class Frigate II, and one Type 903 Fuchi Class Replenishment Oiler that are traversing the internal waters of the country,” ang sinabi ni WestMinCom chief Lieutenant General Antonio Nafarrete.
Sinabi pa nito na ang Chinese warships ay inaasahang magta-transit sa pamamagitan ng international passages sa loob ng maritime domain ng WestMinCom, ang Sibutu Passage, at ang Basilan Strait.
Winika pa ni Nafarrete na pinapayagan ang pagdaan ng vessels ng ibang bansa. Gayunman, sinabi nito na ang Tsina ay walang diplomatic coordination sa Pilipinas at ang vessels nito ay nananatili “unusual” ang bilis na “four to five knots.”
“This is not consistent with the principles of innocent passage which requires continuous and expeditious passage and that the vessel should not linger in archipelagic waters longer than necessary,” giit niya.
“The WestMincon has since deployed two Philippine Air Force aircraft consisting of one C-208 and one Nomad N22 aircraft to monitor the passage of the PLAN vessels within the country’s territorial waters,” patuloy ni Nafarrete.
Ang WestMinCom’s Joint Task Force Poseidon ay nag-dispatch ng Philippine Navy ships para hamunin at bumuntot sa Chinese warships.
“PLAN responded and invoked freedom of navigation and innocent passage,” ayon kay Nafarrete. Kris Jose
