Resupply for Ayungin troops, safety of Pagasa Island in danger over China's reclamations

From InterAksyon (Apr 22): Resupply for Ayungin troops, safety of Pagasa Island in danger over China's reclamations



The mayor of Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in Palawan expressed mixed reactions about the aggressive behavior of China over the disputed Spratly Islands amid growing anxiety by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that this would spell danger to troops stationed at Ayungin Shoal.

"We are worried, too, especially for our safety. Is China ready to spark a third world war with rest of the superpowers, such as the United States and its allies, just because of these islets? I don't think so," Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon said in a phone interview with InterAksyon.com.

Bito-onon said that local officials, too, are watching the evolving developments between Manila and Beijing regarding the massive reclamations by the Chinese in the Spratly Islands including some reefs located within the KIG.

At Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Joselito Kakilala reiterated the call of AFP chief of staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. for China to stop its reclamation activities and respect the rule of law, such as the 1992 Code of Conduct of Parties and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Reacting to Senator Francis Escudero's suggestion that a diplomat from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) should be the one speaking about the aggressiveness of China over the Spratlys instead of Catapang, Kakilala said the chief of staff cannot but also worry about the implications to national security.

"The Chief of Staff was merely supporting the President who raised this concern in public. Gen. Catapang believes that the massive reclamation must be made known to all, including the international community. He is concerned about its direct implication to our troops who are there to safeguard our territories in the KIG," he said.

Kakilala said the AFP respects the suggestion of the senator and is awaiting guidance from the Commander-in-Chief, President Benigno Aquino III.

But the only thing that worries the AFP is not just the safety and security of civilians living on Pagasa Island, where the political center of the KIG local government unit is located, but also of the military troops stationed on the BRP Sierra Madre shipwreck in Ayungin Shoal.

"If China is to seal off all areas, we won't be able to resupply our soldiers. It is the Chief of Staff's responsibility to raise this concern on behalf of our brave soldiers who are posted there," Kakilala added.

China's Coast Guard and Navy ships have more than once blocked resupply missions of the Philippine Navy to its troops in Ayungin, military sources said.

There was also an incident when the group of Bito-onon was harassed by a ship while en route to Pagasa from Puerto Princesa City. Chinese navy ships had been posted near Ayungin, just as in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in Masinloc, Zambales, using water cannons to drive them away with water cannons and even pointing guns against Filipino fishermen.

Kakilala said that, despite these incidents, the military will not be deterred in implementing its mandate to defend and protect the country's territorial and sovereign domains.

"The AFP has intensified its monitoring on the massive reclamation of China in the WPS. These reclamation activities are defacing our centuries-old coral reefs which are the foundations of livelihood for millions of Filipino fishermen," he said.

"We are deeply worried also about the magnitude of damage to the marine biodiversity in the WPS caused by these reclamation activities. What's at stake here is the destruction of our marine food chain systems depriving us and the next generation of Filipinos of the right to life," he added.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/109277/resupply-for-ayungin-troops-safety-of-pagasa-island-in-danger-over-chinas-reclamations