A Philippine civil society group has accused Beijing of committing “modern-day piracy” in the disputed South China Sea and vowed to picket outside the Chinese embassy as maritime tensions between the two sides continue to flare.
Rafaela David, one of the leaders of Atin Ito (“It’s Ours”), said China’s coastguard cannot get away with the reported seizure of supplies for Filipino troops stationed aboard a rickety warship that serves as a military outpost in the Second Thomas Shoal.
David called on citizens to display their “unyielding spirit” at next Tuesday’s rally in front of the Chinese diplomatic mission in Manila to protest against the May 19 incident that also resulted in the alleged blockade of a medical evacuation of a sick soldier from the BRP Sierra Madre, which the Philippines grounded on the shoal in 1999 to assert its territorial claims.
“They cannot do a ‘Made in China’ Jack Sparrow act in our backyard and expect no accountability,” she said on Wednesday, referring to the protagonist of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Philippine navy spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said the Chinese coastguard personnel snatched a package airdropped by a military aircraft for the troops on the outcrop, suspecting it had construction materials to reinforce the crumbling vessel.
He later released pictures that showed the parcel contained food rations that were dispersed in the sea.
The West Philippine Sea is the term Manila uses to describe the eastern parts of the South China Sea that are within its exclusive economic zone and territorial waters.
David described the act as “outright modern-day piracy” and an “assault on our dignity as a nation”.
“Our brave frontliners deserve unwavering support, not pillaging by foreign aggressors,” she said.
The Second Thomas Shoal, known to Filipinos as Ayungin, has become a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing in recent years.
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Chinese fishing boats and coastguard vessels have often blocked and rammed Philippine ships in the resource-rich waterway, prompting Manila to lodge repeated diplomatic protests over the behaviour.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entirety of the South China Sea – where the Philippines and several other nations have competing claims – and has rejected a 2016 international ruling that ruled in favour of Manila and found China’s assertions have no legal basis.
David said next week’s demonstration was about “standing up for what’s just, what is rightfully ours, and making it clear that the West Philippine Sea is not up for grabs”.
Meanwhile, senate president Francis Escudero urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s administration to raise the food-grabbing episode with Asean states.
Escudero said the 10-member bloc may not be a well-known political association, but it still serves as a forum to discuss what is happening in Southeast Asia, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
He expressed hope the rising tensions could be eased through talks, saying “nobody wants any kind of war to erupt in our region”.
