MANILA, Philippines – Tinawag ni Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela ang presensya ng China sa territorial waters sa Kota Island bilang “coordinated militia operation” at hindi lamang simpleng fishing activity.
Ito ay kasunod ng joint operation kasama ang iba pang maritime authorities sa Kota Island noong Biyernes kung saan itinaboy nito ang Chinese maritime militia vessel (CMMV) 9622 at 22 pang maliliit na bangka na kilala bilang “sampan” at nag-ooperate ng “unauthorized fishing activities” at “dumping waste at sea.”
Kinontra naman ni Tarriela ang sinabi ng Chinese embassy na ang ginagawa lamang nila ay normal na pangingisda sa kanilang ‘relevant waters.’
“Normal fishing doesn’t happen 250 meters from the shoreline of an island where Filipino personnel are stationed. It doesn’t come with a maritime militia mothership, CMMV 9622, deploying 22 sampans and dumping waste at sea,” ani Tarriela.
Ang Kota Island, o kilala bilang Loaita Island, ay isa sa mga features ng Kalayaan Island Group sa Spratly Islands.
Ito ay bahagi ng munisipalidad ng Kalayaan sa Palawan.
Sa ilalim ng international laws, maging sa batas ng Pilipinas, hindi maaaring mangisda ang anumang dayuhang barko sa territorial waters ng Pilipinas.
“China’s own ‘domestic law’ does not change any of this!” giit ni Tarriela.
Binalikan din nito ang 2016 arbitral award na nagdeklara sa nine-dash line ng China na walang basehan sa ilalim ng international law.
“Calling the area ‘Nansha Qundao’ does not make it Chinese, and bringing up fishermen from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao does not make an intrusion legal,” aniya.
Ang CMMV 9622 ay ang kaparehong mothership na namataan sa lugar noong Setyembre 28 na kasama ng 24 maliliit na bangka.
Umalis ang mga ito sa pagdating ng team ng PCG.
“It came back less than two weeks later with more aggressive behavior.”
“Evidently, this is a coordinated militia operation, not a fishing trip!”
Kasunod ng operasyon sa Kota Island, sinabi ng Chinese Embassy na may sovereign rights ito sa Nansha Qundao, kabilang ang Nanyao Dao, at kanilang adjacent waters.
“Chinese fishermen, including those from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao regions, engage in normal fishing activities in the relevant waters in accordance with Chinese domestic law and relevant international law.”
“The Philippine side has no right to ‘repel’ Chinese fishermen and fishing vessels from the relevant waters.” RNT/JGC
