PRRD wants passing foreign vessels to get clearance

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivers his speech during the ceremonial awarding of housing units to former rebels at the Freedom Residences in Tagum City on July 16, 2019. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA – Malacañang said President Rodrigo Duterte has instructed that all foreign vessels passing through the Philippines’ territorial waters must get clearance “well in advance”.

“To avoid misunderstanding in the future, the President is putting on notice that beginning today, all foreign vessels passing our territorial waters must notify and get clearance from the proper government authority well in advance of the actual passage,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“Either we get a compliance in a friendly manner or we enforce it in an unfriendly manner,” he added.

Panelo said Duterte’s notice came after the repeated passing through of foreign vessels, particularly Chinese warships, in Philippine waters without notifying the government.

The Western Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) earlier reported that five Chinese naval vessels passed through Sibutu Strait in the waters of Tawi-Tawi — four were recorded in July and the last on August 4.

When asked to explain the “unfriendly manner”, Panelo said, “We will ask them to move out of the place.

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“That’s unfriendly because before, we never said anything. We just allow them and just made a protest. But this time, we will tell them, ‘Please get out of our territory,’” he said in a media interview.

Panelo noted that in the past, the Philippine government only filed diplomatic protests against China as part of its “friendly” approach, but the repeated passing without permission draws the line.

“Dati naman tayong di afraid. Kaya lang, dahil nga mapagbigay tayo, friendly nga (Even before, we were not afraid. We have just been accommodating, friendly). But even between friends, there is a time to tell our friends not to perform something that is not being an act of friendship,” he said.

“When you perform acts repeatedly, then it is about time to tell them, ‘Stop,’” he added.

Asked if the government will use military forces to drive away foreign vessels passing through Philippine territorial waters without clearance, Panelo said he will have to ask the AFP.

Ready to invoke MDT

Meanwhile, Panelo said the government is ready to invoke the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) with the United States where allies must provide aid in case of an armed attack against either Washington or Manila by an external party.

“Only when there is an armed aggression,” he clarified.

Should China fail to comply with Duterte’s notice, Panelo said: “Tingnan natin ang susunod na kabanata (Let’s see what happens next).

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Duterte is scheduled to visit China for the fifth time on Aug. 28 – Sept. 2 to invoke the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling won by the Philippines against China during a one-on-one discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Panelo said the President will also bring up the 60-40 sharing arrangement on the proposed joint exploration for oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea, the June 9 Recto Bank (Reed Bank) maritime incident where a Chinese vessel allegedly rammed and abandoned a Philippine fishing boat at sea, among other areas of mutual concern.

Duterte himself said he will also be watching a Gilas Pilipinas game in the 2019 FIBA World Cup at the International Sports and Cultural Arena in Foshan City and visit Fujian University to attend the inauguration of a building there built in honor of his late mother, Soledad.