A Chinese frigate fired illumination rounds or flares at a Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane on reconnaissance patrol over the country’s Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in the disputed Spratlys last Sunday.
The incident was confirmed by several security officials yesterday.
Top defense and military officials said the illumination rounds could have originated from the powerful searchlights of a Chinese warship.
“It happened Sunday morning while our Fokker plane was on a routine maritime patrol,” a source said.
But the source added the incident has resulted in the cancellation of an air evacuation scheduled last Monday of radio enthusiast Chito Pastor, who visited Pag-Asa Island in the KIG.
Pastor was suffering from a kidney ailment.
Sources said Pastor and his group of Filipino-American ham radio enthusiasts set up an amateur radio station called dxOP in Pag-Asa.
The station had its maiden broadcast early Thursday using the airwaves to educate listeners that the island is a sovereign Philippine territory.
But Pastor got ill after drinking highly saline water.
His companions requested an emergency air evacuation from the Palawan-based Western Command (Wescom) that scheduled a flight last Monday to Pag-Asa Island.
The air evacuation, however, was cancelled after the Chinese warship harassed a PAF plane.
“All flights were cancelled as the Wescom’s Islander and Nomad planes were grounded,” the source said.
Sources said maritime patrol by the PAF at the KIG had resumed.
Pastor was finally taken out of Pag-asa Island along with two other passengers yesterday aboard a civilian Piper 30 plane.
The civilian plane landed safely at Puerto Princesa City at about 1 p.m. The United States embassy was reportedly instrumental in providing the civilian plane for the medical evacuation.
Sources said the Chinese warship fired an illumination round at the Fokker plane in the vicinity of Zamora (Subi) Reef.
Another source said the harassment occurred over Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, which is now being reclaimed by the Chinese.
Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Affairs Office, denied that a Chinese vessel fired an illumination round at a PAF plane over the Spratlys.
“We strongly deny that any of our military planes was fired upon by a Chinese vessel while flying to Pag-Asa Island to pick up a patient. Firing incident in the West Philippine Sea is a serious matter that must not be subject to malicious rumors,” Cabunoc said.
But Cabunoc confirmed that indeed Wescom had been requested and was scheduled to pick up a patient using a Nomad plane from Pag-Asa Island yesterday, but was unable to provide the air asset due to technical problems.
“Instead, Wescom allowed the relatives of the patient to send a Piper 30 civilian plane,” he said.
Chinese reclamation
Wescom chief Vice Adm. Alexander Lopez said China’s reclamation projects in at least seven disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) could be completed within the year or early next year.
Lopez said the construction of some structures appears to be almost complete.
“We can only speculate. Maybe before the year ends or early next year. Actually, some of them are just undergoing finishing touches,” he added.
The Department Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said that the international arbitral tribunal hearing the Philippines’ case against China’s territorial claim might issue a ruling within the first quarter of 2016.
Lopez noted that China’s construction activities in the disputed Spratlys have been massive, simultaneous and aggressive.
He admitted that the military could only monitor China’s activities because of the arbitration case filed by the Philippines.
“As of now, the government policy is we will not do anything provocative that would weaken our arbitration case before the international court,” the military official said.
“We cannot prevent this by ourselves. It needs a collaborative effort with the civilized world, with the community of nations. We’re telling them that these activities are not right and are not doing the region any good,” he added.
China is conducting reclamation in Panganiban (Mischief), Kennan (Chigua) and Mabini (Johnson South) Reefs. It is also building structures in Burgos (Gaven), Calderon (Cuarteron), Zamora (Subi) and Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reefs.
Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr. earlier warned that the Philippines would lose access to the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and Pag-Asa Island if China finishes its reclamation in Panganiban Reef.
China has built a garrison on the reef, located 135 miles west of Palawan.
Catapang has admitted that the Philippines is facing a “very difficult situation” as the completion of the reclamation in Panganiban could restrict the delivery of supplies to Ayungin and Pag-Asa.
Ayungin Shoal is being guarded by Marine troopers stationed in the BRP Sierra Madre, a rusty Navy ship that ran aground in the area and serves as a Philippine military detachment.
Pag-Asa Island, meanwhile, is the biggest Philippine-occupied island in the disputed Spratlys archipelago. The island is part of the Kalayaan Island Group, a fifth class municipality of Palawan inhabited by more than 200 Filipino soldiers and civilians.
Foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States and the High Representative of the European Union have expressed concerns over what they described as “unilateral actions, such as large scale land reclamation, (that) change the status quo and increased tensions.”
Meanwhile, Lopez encouraged fishermen in Zambales to continue sailing to Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal despite the presence of Chinese ships in the area.
He said the presence of local fishermen would show that the Philippines owns the shoal, which has been cordoned off by Chinese vessels since 2012.
“For me, we should just continue to go there. It’s a traditional (fishing) route. They (Filipino fishermen) should not be afraid. They should not lose heart,” Lopez said.
Lopez admitted that the Chinese ships might use water cannons to drive away Filipino fishermen. He, however, believes that sailing towards the shoal is a symbolic act.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/04/24/1447217/chinese-ship-fires-flares-paf-plane-over-kalayaan
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