Pama: We Lost Mischief Reef Due To Inferior Navy

From the Manila Bulletin (Dec 17): Pama: We Lost Mischief Reef Due To Inferior Navy

It’s a blessing in disguise for the country. This is how outgoing Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Alexander Pama described the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) as he underscored that Mischief Reef was taken over due to lack of Navy assets to protect our territory. “What’s happening now in the West Philippine Sea is a blessing in disguise not only for the (Philippine) Navy but for the country,” Pama told Manila Bulletin. “People are beginning to realize that we are indeed a maritime nation and we have to protect our maritime interests.” “It may not be a refocus, because we’ve been doing that (patrolling and enforcing Philippine maritime laws) ever since,” he remarked. “But we need to highlight that fact in the psyche of the people.”The biggest challenge now, Pama said, is: What do we need first to secure our maritme domains? “We cannot have physical presence if we don’t have wherewithal,” he emphasized.


 The Navy chief cited as an example the 1994 incident in Mischief Reef which is just 130 miles away from Palawan, well inside the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Philippines once controlled this and Filipino fishermen used to fish at the reef. However, the Chinese government was able to build initial structures on stilts at the reef while the Philippine Navy was not patrolling the area due to monsoon season. “The Mischief Reef was taken because we were not able to go there immediately,” explained Pama who is set to retire on Dcember 21. “Because of our non-physical presence, because our ships were small, we had that lesson.” He said the need to have ships that can conduct patrols despite bad weather has been “in our wish list.” “We need these kind of ships for those environments,” said Pama. “Because there was a time when during southwest monsoon we cannot even go there (West Philippine Sea).”

According to Pama, the April 2012 standoff in the Scarborough Shoal was also a “game changer.” “China’s reaction to the incident was unprecedented,” he pointed out. “We can no longer ignore what is happening there.” During the standoff, Pama said they were able to confirm that the Chinese are able to move in and out of the area within the shoal. He said if only the Philippine Navy has the capability “we will also do it (patrol the high seas despite the bad weather).” “It will be a folly on our part if we have them and not test them,” Pama emphasized. “If you have capabilities it’s not the question if this thing is capable but if these assets are able to deliver your needs.” Right now, he said, the Philippine Navy has a program that emphasizes the need to deploy the “proper assets required where we will be operating.” “Capability upgrade with what our resources would allow us, we need to prioritize the imperative,” said Pama. “Number one is main awareness of what’s happening there 24/7 not just the coast but going beyond our EEZ which is rightfully ours under the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas).”

The head of the Philippine Navy also said that what they did on April 10 inside the Scarborough Shoal – boarding and inspecting the Chinese fishing vessels – was not illegal. “We have been deputized for flagrante delicto,” Pama explained. “We can arrest them and turn them over to the concerned agencies.” In fact, Pama, who commanded six vessels during his shipboard assignments, said when he was still a Navy captain they had arrested several Chinese fisherman illegally fishing in the Spratlys. “We have arrested some of them (Chinese fishermen) who were destroying marine resources and hauled them to San Fernando, La Union,” the Navy chief said. “We don’t tolerate things that are happening under our noses.” However, Pama stressed that the Philippine Navy was not there “to look for trouble.” “We are there to emphasize our sovereignty,” he said. “We feel that these incidence... we just can’t close our eyes to reality. There are finite resources there and there will be competition for the resources among countries.”

http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/386086/pama-we-lost-mischief-reef-due-to-inferior-navy