Forging our own shield & West Philippine Sea gets a new commander as row with China escalates anew

Manila Times

February 25, 2014

Editorial

Forging our own shield

The report that China’s coast guard fired water cannon at Filipino fisherman to drive them away from the Scarborough Shoal last month highlights the continuing efforts of Beijing to assert control over the disputed territory in the West Philippine Sea.

No one was reported hurt in the incident, but one wonders how far the Chinese will go next time, if they will be firing bullets, instead of jets of water.

Tensions between Manila and Beijing have been building since the standoff between Philippine Navy and Chinese maritime surveillance vessels in Scarborough in April 2012. A team from Philippine Navy frigate had discovered a hoard of \o “Coral” corals, \o “Giant clam” giant clams and live \o “Shark” sharks in a Chinese fishing boat and tried to make an arrest. The Chinese government vessels interposed, and to prevent things from getting out of hand, the Navy ship retreated.

Since then China has become more aggressive in asserting its territorial rights in the West Philippine Sea.

The Philippines went before a United Nations arbitration court to challenge China’s claim, but Beijing refuses to take part in the proceedings.

The Philippines is not alone in trying to contest China’s expansionist drive in the West Philippine Sea. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam have their own claims in the area and have had their own scrapes with the Chinese.

The water cannon incident forms an appropriate backdrop to the arrival of the commander of the US Navy Pacific Fleet in Manila for talks with Philippine officials centered on the implications of America’s “repivot to Asia” policy. The new US thrust calls for a more robust American military presence in the region to counter China’s push towards the Pacific. The Philippines is strategically significant in the US plan and there are negotiations between Manila and Washington for a rotational stationing of American troops on Philippine soil.

Beijing no doubt will be keenly watching the negotiations, curious about the extent of US involvement in Asia-Pacific affairs.

How deep the US is willing to immerse itself in the region should be a question our own officials must ask the US Navy Pacific Fleet commander. They specifically need to know how far Washington will stick its neck out for the Philippines if ever a confrontation with China breaks out.

It’s comforting to have the US by our side, but we have to be crystal clear about one thing: when push comes to shove, America will look after its interests first, and understandably so. In the present global scheme of things, expediency is the rule of thumb. US President Obama took a lot of heat for delaying his decision early on in the Syrian conflict, when there was small window for a military action against Bashar al-Assad.

Do not expect, therefore, the US to send in its fighter jets in behalf of the Philippines if the confrontation in the West Philippine Sea with China erupts into a shooting war.

The bottom line is it’s nice to have a superpower for an ally, but we must realize that we must not rely forever on someone else’s shield. Our ally must be there only to help us develop our own shield.

We are, after all, a sovereign nation. As such, we must be able to defend ourself.

West Philippine Sea gets a new commander as row with China escalates anew By: Jaime Sinapit, InterAksyon.com
February 25, 2014 7:37 PM

File photo of Lt. General Roy Deveraturda from Central Command website.

InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines – A lieutenant general has just been given the formidable post of lone area commander for the West Philippine Sea, flashpoint in the country’s territorial disputes with China, just as tensions are rising anew over the latest incident: Beijing’s use of water cannons on Filipino fishermen.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has designated Lt. Gen. Roy Deveraturda lone area commander in charge of all military operations in the West Philippine Sea—Manila’s name for that part it claims in the South China Sea area that Beijing claims in entirety.

AFP Chief General Emmanuel Bautista signed last week the orders for Deveraturda, commander of Western Command (Westcom), as WPS commander, according to the AFP public affairs chief, Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala.

The Westcom commander now has jurisdiction over all of WPS including Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, an area under de facto Chinese occupation even though it is well within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.

A standoff over fishing rights between Chinese and Philippine forces in April 2012 was resolved but only for a short time. Chinese maritime surveillance vessels routinely back up dozens of Chinese fishing boats.

Westcom, based in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, is set to acquire the first two units of 12 FA-50 “Golden Eagle” lead-in trainer jets that the Philippine Air Force (PAF) will buy from the Republic of Korean Air Force (ROKAF). The trainer jets, worth P18.9 billion, are made by Korean Aerospace, Inc. (KAI) and are meant to boost the Philippines’ territorial patrol capability.

Panatag, just off Masinloc town in Zambales, has been virtually “roped off” by China as its own since the 2012 standoff. The area used to be under the area command of the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) based in Camp Aquino in Tarlac City. It is currently led by Lt. Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang.

Bautista said the Chinese Coast Guard fired water cannons on January 27 to drive away Filipino fishermen from the area, a report that President Benigno Aquino III has directed the Department of Foreign Affairs to get to the bottom of—and to issue a protest.

According to the AFP, the new WPS command setup is meant to enhance external defense capabilities that are now concentrated at Westcom.

All sea and air assets deployed for territorial defense, whether based at NOLCOM and its naval unit, the Naval Forces Northern Luzon based in Sta. Ana, Cagayan, are all under the command of the WPS (Westcom) commander.

Other areas to watch

Besides the Panatag Shoal,  Westcom also has to guard portions of Spratly Islands where the municipality of Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) just off Palawan is located. KIG is composed of 2 islets and 7 reefs, including Ayungin which China has also been posting since last year.

The Philippine Marines has a detachment in Ayungin. The military sentries are housed at the grounded Navy ship, the BRP Sierra Madre.

KIG is currently under the leadership of Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon, who presides over a political office based in Pagasa Island (inhabitants: 300 civilians, not to include military personnel deployed on the island).

Manila is due to submit next month a Memorial before a UN arbitral tribunal where it filed a complaint last year, saying Beijing’s so-called nine-dash line over the South China Sea is excessive.