MANILA: At least three Chinese vessels are still in the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, more than a year after Beijing had intruded into the Philippine-owned area, Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said yesterday.
“Chinese vessels are still there — two Chinese Maritime Surveillance ships and one Fisheries Law Enforcement Command,” Gazmin said.
Gazmin said they are continuously monitoring the situation in the reef, which is well within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. “We have naval and air assets there,” the defence chief said.
Gazmin, nevertheless, believes that the continuous presence of Chinese vessels in the shoal would not affect the Philippines’ ownership of the area.
Filipino fishermen who rely on the reef’s marine resources for their livelihood have been scared off by Chinese vessels, prompting some sectors to think that the foreign ships now have control of the area.
Despite the apparent bullying by Chinese intruders, Gazmin said the government would continue to seek a peaceful resolution to the issue.“We do not want to escalate the problem. We have done our part by submitting this to an international court of arbitration,” he said.
Chinese occupation of the Panatag Shoal started on April 10, 2012, when surveillance vessels from Beijing barred the Philippine Navy from arresting Chinese fishermen who had poached endangered marine species from the shoal.
The ill-equipped Filipino authorities had failed to stop the fishermen from carting off their harvest. Upon their return to China, the Chinese poachers claimed that they were intimidated by Philippine forces.
The incident led to a standoff between the technologically superior Chinese vessels and Philippine ships that lasted for two months.
The standoff ended on June 15, 2012 after Malacanang ordered a pullout of Philippine vessels allegedly due to bad weather.
THE PHILIPPINE STAR
