DND prepares contingency measures should tension soar in West Philippine Sea

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 4): DND prepares contingency measures should tension soar in West Philippine Sea

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Wednesday said it is preparing contingency measures should tension between China and the Philippines ratchet up in the disputed areas of the West Philippines Sea.

He made this statement when asked what plans the DND would implement should Chinese law enforcement vessels ram and sink Filipino fishing boats operating in the disputed waters.

The question was asked after Chinese fisheries and law enforcement vessels rammed and sunk a Vietnamese fishing ship operating 17 nautical miles off the Paracel Islands.

The area is near the oil rig the Chinese are constructing.

"Well anything can happen but we are preparing contingency (plans) for this," Gazmin stressed.

And when asked what these plans are, the DND chief refused to elaborate.

To ensure that these incidents will not be repeated against Filipino fishermen, Gazmin said the Philippine Coast Guard is escorting these individuals up to a certain point.

"These steps are being done to ensure that our fishermen will not be harassed," he narrated

The DND chief also took this opportunity to stress that everything possible will be done to ensure that Marine personnel standing watch over Ayungin Shoal will be resupplied and rotated regularly.

Rotation of military personnel detailed in the grounded wreck of the BRP Sierra Madre (LT-57) is usually done every three months.

The last resupply and rotation mission was done last March 29. During that period, Chinese Coast Guard ships attempted to prevent Filipino civilian ships from doing their resupply mission.

He added that the government will not renege on the responsibility to both military personnel and civilians at sea.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=650114