Estrada condemns alleged Chinese blocking of BFAR vessel in West Philippine Sea
Estrada's statement followed a disclosure by Ray Powell, retired US Air Force colonel and director of the SeaLight project at Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation.
Powell said the BFAR vessel BRP Datu Romapenet, en route to Sandy Cay, was forced to return to Pag-asa Island after being blocked by at least three Chinese vessels.
Sandy Cay is a group of sandbars west of Pag-asa Island claimed by both the Philippines and China.
'Reports that a BFAR vessel, the BRP Datu Romapenet, was blocked by Chinese maritime militia ships while conducting a fisheries mission in the West Philippine Sea are deeply concerning,' Estrada said.
He urged relevant agencies to verify the incident, emphasizing that if confirmed, it would constitute a serious violation of the country's sovereign rights and harassment of a Philippine-flagged vessel carrying out legitimate monitoring within its maritime domain.
Estrada lamented the numerous similar incidents experienced by Filipino civilian and government maritime personnel over the years.
'We could no longer count the many times our civilian and government maritime personnel have experienced from foreign entities that continue to persist in forcing us out of our own waters. We must not allow this disregard for our rights and endangerment of our fellow citizens to become normal,' he said.
He called on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to file a diplomatic protest and demand accountability from China once the incident is verified, while asserting the Philippines' rights under international law.
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