‘PH pilots will not engage in hostile acts against Chinese’

From the Manila Standard Today (Apr 27): ‘PH pilots will not engage in hostile acts against Chinese’

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Sunday its pilots will not engage in any hostile activity should Chinese ships and planes harass them, as they did on April 19 when a Philippine Navy Islander was warned away from Subi Reef in the disputed Spratlys Island chain.

Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, AFP public affairs office chief, said this was in line with the country’s stand of maximum restraint to avoid conflict in the disputed areas.

Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Joselito Kakilala added tht a policy of “maximum restraint” would be applied to the contentious areas in the West Philippine Sea.

On April 19, a Chinese frigate flashed powerful lights and radioed a patrolling Islander aircraft then patrolling off Subi Reef. The aircraft crew ignored the Chinese warning and continued with its maritime patrol mission.

Earlier, Western Command chief Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez denied reports that the Chinese fired illumination rounds.

Lopez also said the incident was unconnected to the medical evacuation of a sick man who was part of a group of amateur radio enthusiasts doing broadcast tests on Pagasa Island, the seat of the local government of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), which is in the disputed Spratly Islands.

“The two incidents are not in any way connected to each other. It’s not true that our Islander was fired upon by a frigate... and thus stopped from picking up a sickly man for medical evacuation in Pagasa,” Lopez said in a phone interview.

“They even radioed us to leave Kagitingan because it was Chinese territory. That is what really happened in Kagitingan. There was no firing of illumination rounds,” Lopez said.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/04/27/-ph-pilots-will-not-engage-in-hostile-acts-against-chinese-/