The Philippines will be compelled to defend itself from China’s unlawful actions in the country’s territorial waters to uphold its sovereign rights, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said amid ongoing confrontations between Philippine Coast Guard and Chinese maritime forces in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“What is being done to the Philippines is forcible stealing of its rights, sovereign rights, in the exclusive economic zone… [to which] the Philippines has the sole right to explore, exploit resources in, by China. And doing this… through muscle,” he stressed during an interview on the program Battlegrounds with H.R. McMaster.
“So what I’m trying to say right now is for the Philippines, what China is doing makes the Philippines, compels the Philippines to defend itself, assert its right against China. So they have themselves to blame,” Teodoro added.
Aside from this, Teodoro said China is also trying to crowd out the country by “trying to change narratives, trying to subvert our domestic economy, trying to influence others not to side with the Philippines.”
Over the weekend, a Chinese vessel used a long-range acoustic device (LRAD) in an extreme effort to harass the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) BRP Cabra, which was patrolling the waters off Zambales province.
The LRAD emits high-decibel sounds that can cause pain and hearing damage to a ship’s crew.
Despite this harassment, the PCG said the crew of BRP Cabra successfully pushed the Chinese vessels further back from its coastal waters.
In a statement issued Saturday evening, Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said the BRP Cabra remains steadfast in its mission to prevent China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels from nearing the Zambales coastline.
“Notably, CCG-3103 has replaced CCG-3304 this afternoon to maintain the Chinese illegal patrol, and it appears to be escorted by CCG-5901 or the “Chinese monster ship. For the first time, CCG-3103 employed an LRAD to harass the Philippine Coast Guard vessel, attempting to deter proximity,” Tarriela disclosed.
“Currently, the China Coast Guard has been pushed back to a position between 90 and 95 nautical miles from the shore,” he added.
Tarriela added that BRP Cabra conducted hourly radio challenges “to assert that the Chinese presence violates the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the 2016 Arbitral Award.”
“Despite the harassment and the intimidating presence of the Chinese monster ship, BRP Cabra remains committed to its mission. The Philippine Coast Guard continues to uphold its mandate of safeguarding the nation’s maritime jurisdiction while striving to avoid provocation and escalation,” the PCG officer said.
