A naval patrol team which included four China Marine Surveillance (CMS) ships carried out a formation practice in an area close to Yongshu Reef (Kagitingan) in the South China Sea yesterday, July 2, 2012. The latest report revealed that at least 28 Chinese naval vessels, including five state-controlled ships, were sighted in the controversial waters.
Not one Filipino ship patrols the area to assert the Philippines’ claim over the much-disputed stretch of water ever since President Noynoy Aquino recalled two government ships from the area – one belonging to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the other belonging to the Philippine Coast Guard.
As more CMS patrol boats are deployed in the shoal apparently to assert its territorial claim, China has heightened its presence in the Kalayaan Group of Islands in Palawan and the Scarborough Shoal in Zambales, where a strained blockade erupted between Philippine and Chinese naval vessels last April.
As tension mounts, President Aquino yesterday has considered requesting spy planes from the United States, obviously for the purpose of monitoring the movements of Chinese combat-ready ships and aircraft deployed in the island group. Aquino wanted the presence of US spy planes in the South China Sea to reinforce the Philippine government’s deficient surveillance of foreign vessels in the controversial shoal, an action that can further fan the flame and raise the tension level with China. The Chinese government has warned that outside forces must not interfere in the conflict of both claimant countries.
The President said in an interview that the Aquino government may request for P3C Orion spy planes over flights over the South China Sea in order for the country’s extensive shoreline to be better patrolled.
In the meantime, the Philippine military insisted that the current naval exercise conducted by Filipino and American troops are not by any means related to the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China. Armed Forces spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. emphasized that the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training or CARAT, which commenced on July 2 in General Santos City, is a yearly joint military exercise participated by the Philippine and US navies since 1995.
For clarification, the United State Navy’s P3-Orion plane that President Aquino referred to is not actually a “spy” plane but a reconnaissance plane which is used to explore areas for search and rescue operations as well as for certain weather disturbances. The plane is also used for peace-keeping purposes. The term “spy plane” used by President Aquino is rather a harsh statement. He should choose his words more cautiously particularly when dealing with touchy issues as these.
Featured Photo: President Noynoy Aquino
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