House Speaker: China’s actions contravene peace, stability

FREEDOM FROM POVERTY. Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez delivers a speech during the commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of Philippine Independence at the monument of Andres Bonifacio in Caloocan City on Monday (June 12, 2023). He urged the Filipinos to continue the fight against poverty for a better future. (Photo courtesy of the office of the Speaker via PNA)

By Jose Cielito Reganit, Priam Nepomuceno, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Monday condemned the reported endangerment by two Chinese fighter jets of a Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane over Bajo de Masinloc inside Philippine territory.

“This latest aggressive action of China does not promote peace and stability in the West Philippine Sea and in the region. It does not speak well of a country trying to be a world power and leader,” Romualdez said in a news release.

“Disputes between two countries would not be resolved amicably if one, however big it is, resorts to aggression, harassment and bullying,” he added.

According to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the two Chinese fighter jets conducted dangerous maneuvers and dropped flares in the path of the PAF plane, endangering the aircraft and its crew, on Aug. 8.

The PAF plane returned safety to Clark Air Base in Pampanga.

Following the incident, China said the Philippines should stop its “infringement,” claiming it has “indisputable sovereignty” over Bajo de Masinloc and its adjacent waters.

Romualdez stressed, however, that Beijing’s assertion “has no legal basis.”

“They should not insist on this baseless claim. It is against the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which both the Philippines and China are signatories,” he said, citing that the Philippines is entitled to a 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under UNCLOS.

“Bajo de Masinloc is 120 nautical miles from Luzon and is clearly within our EEZ, while it is 594 nautical miles from China’s Hainan Island,” Romualdez said.

NTF-WPS to China: Stop all forms of provocation

The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) also condemned the incident and called on Beijing to refrain from engaging in provocations.

“Thus, we call on the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to cease all forms of provocative and hazardous acts that could undermine the safety of Filipino military and civilian personnel in the waters or in the skies, destabilize regional peace, and erode the trust and confidence of the international community in the PRC,” the task force said in a statement.

It said the China People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s (PLAAF) act of launching flares in the flight path of the Philippine Air Force’s patrol aircraft exhibited “hazardous intent”.

“Just when the waters of the West Philippine Sea seemed to show calm, the airspace above it was disturbed with acts of aggression. Our pilots and crew responded with focus, restraint, and professionalism, unfazed by the aggressive PLAAF jets,” it said.

It said the Philippines’ air and maritime security patrol missions will continue within its sovereign territory, airspace, and exclusive economic zone.