Navy: Contingency plans in place if tension ups over China fishing ban

PN spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad (Photo: Philippine Navy/Facebook)

MANILA – The Philippine Navy (PN) on Wednesday said it has contingency plans in place should tensions heighten over China’s announcement of a unilateral fishing ban which covers the Philippines’ maritime zones in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“Rest assured that we have sufficient contingency plans in place in the event that situations will escalate,” PN spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a media briefing.

He said the PN, along with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), will support the “actions of the other maritime law enforcement agencies especially the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)” that they will undertake regarding the issue.

He said China’s actions that would threaten Philippine sovereignty and territorial integrity would only strengthen the PN and the AFP’s resolve to perform their mandate.

Earlier, China announced a fishing ban that will take effect from May 1 to Sept. 16 in areas north of the South China Sea north of the 12 degrees north latitude, which covers the Bajo de Masinloc (also known as Scarborough Shoal).

Trinidad called this action by China as illegal and against international law.

“All the actions of China which is an implementation of their Coast Guard Law which took effect 01 February 2021 are illegal, they are against international law, our Commander-in-Chief (President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.) said they are all unacceptable, the SND (Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr.) said they are provocative, China is out tune, out of step, out of their minds,” he said.

Asked on whether it is possible that China will use the fishing ban as an excuse to arrest Filipino fishermen going about their lawful business in the WPS, Trinidad said this is possible as the Chinese are using “lawfare” as one of their tactics.

“Lawfare is one of the instruments in their cookbook, the ultimate objective of China is sea control of the South China Sea, they will use the different instruments of a national power to assert that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Trinidad, citing information from the Naval Forces Northern Luzon, said Filipino fishermen are allowed to fish in the general area of the WPS “as long as they do not enter Bajo de Masinloc.”

There are also no indications that China is implementing its announced ban as of this time, he said.

“Again I mentioned earlier that today’s warfare is more narrative, it’s more of deception, it’s part of the lawfare of China,” he said.

He also assured all Filipino fishermen, especially those plying Bajo de Masinloc, that the PN and the AFP support all their lawful actions for their livelihood.

“I would like to say that the PN and the AFP is fully supportive of your actions, of your livelihood which has been a traditional source of income, wag kayong matakot, magpatuloy lamang kayo at (don’t be afraid, just continue with business), the AFP and the entire government is behind you,” he said.

PCG to beef up presence in Bajo de Masinloc

The PCG, meanwhile, said it would intensify its presence in Bajo de Masinloc to protect Filipino fishermen there, in response to Beijing’s fishing ban.

“We’re going to intensify our presence in collaboration with the deployment of the BFAR. Kung maalala niyo (if you can remember) way back as February, the National Security Adviser (NSA) has already issued a directive to the Coast Guard and BFAR to maintain a rotational deployment in Bajo de Masinloc,” PCG spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said in an interview in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing Wednesday.

He said this is in line with PCG chief Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan’s commitment to the Chief Executive and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año.

Tarriela said the Chinese fishing ban declaration, according to Filipino fishermen in the past years, was never actively implemented by Chinese maritime law enforcement.

“That only intends to discourage Filipino fishermen from going to WPS,” he said.