SO, the resupply mission for the military contingent stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre (LST-57) in Ayungin Shoal was successfully carried out by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) last Tuesday, August 22.
No untoward incidents happened, according to the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), despite attempts by the China Coast Guard (CCG) and Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) to interfere with the resupply mission.
China has reportedly deployed four militia ships from Mischief Reef, which they overtook in 1995, to “take up blockade positions” as the Philippine ships were on their way to the shoal. I bet what these militia ships did only is a matter of “posturing” with no intention of interfering with the Philippine resupply mission.
Fresh from the August 5 incident where the Chinese Coast Guard used water cannons against our fleet, China could not afford to be on the receiving end once more of international condemnation.
But by being there on the disputed territorial waters in a “blockade position” while the Philippine contingent passes by, they are still making their presence felt.
It will only be a matter of time when Chinese bullying resumes again.
This has been the cycle for almost three decades now, starting in 1995 when they took control of Mischief Reef, which we call our Panganiban Reef—located 250 kilometers west of Palawan.
Administratively, it belonged to the Kalayaan Islands municipality of the province of Palawan. I recall then President Fidel Ramos exposing the Chinese activities via a press conference in February 1995 in Malacañang.
Complete with visuals, he showed the developments in the area with China in the process of constructing octagonal huts on stilts. Despite the explanation of Chinese officials at the time that the structures were meant to serve as shelters for fishermen, FVR condemned the activity and the Philippines lodged a protest through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
By May 1995, with FVR’s blessings, a media trip was organized to Panganiban Reef to show the world what China was doing, despite the protestation from Beijing.
Mia Gonzales, who was then a member of FVR’s Malacañang Press Corps, has written about the event: “In that May 1995 trip, journalists witnessed how Chinese vessels cut into the path of their Mischief Reef-bound ship. After a 70-minute standoff, the Philippine ship retreated. Meanwhile, a pooled media chopper emanating from the vintage naval ship flew over Mischief Reef and saw China’s claimed “fishermen’s shelters” – clusters of octagonal steel structures, with Chinese flags, fitted with equipment typical of military installations. While the group didn’t reach its destination, the mission achieved its goal. It internationalized the issue, which China frowned upon.”
President Ramos internationalized the issue, taking every opportunity to highlight the need for a peaceful resolution of the dispute in the South China Sea.
He has spoken about it in major international forums attended by world leaders such as the United Nations, ASEAN, APEC, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
FVR has also used his “personal charm” to tame China by hosting Chinese President Jiang Zemin as a state visitor in 1996 after the latter attended the APEC Leaders’ Summit in Subic, a year after the Mischief Reef incident.
During their bilateral talks, Jiang told FVR that China attached great importance to its relations with the Philippines. Then Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Macaranas said Jiang said he is committed to stepping up this relationship based on “mutual trust” and “oriented towards the 21st century.” The two leaders agreed to find ways “to make it happen.”
On a lighter side, Jiang and FVR even partied on board the BRP Ang Pangulo while cruising Manila Bay where they also had a jamming session with the Presidential Security Group (PSG) band.
At Ramos’ prodding, the two leaders sang Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” and two other songs- “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” and “Top of the World.”
For a moment, many thought it was a diplomatic coup for FVR. But we were all wrong.
In 1997, Chinese activities in the South China Sea continued, with Ramos’ protestation again landing on international media. Since then, the situation has become uglier up until this time, with no resolution to Chinese aggression in sight.
So, how do we solve a problem like China?
