Latest news with #BRPDatuRomapenet
Filipino Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Filipino Times
Estrada condemns alleged Chinese blocking of BFAR vessel in West Philippine Sea
enator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada on Friday condemned another alleged attempt by Chinese maritime militia ships to block a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) vessel. 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.
GMA Network
5 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
Jinggoy urges agencies to verify report Chinese ships blocked BFAR vessel
Senator Jinggoy Estrada on Friday called on government agencies to verify a report that Chinese militia vessels bloced a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ship en route to Sandy Cay in the West Philippine Sea. Estrada, chairperson of the Senate committee on national defense and security, peace, unification and reconciliation, expressed concern over the report, saying it is a "serious breach" of the country's sovereign rights if proven true. "I urge the concerned agencies to validate this information, as the incident—if verified—would constitute a serious breach of our sovereign rights and harassment of a Philippine-flagged vessel conducting a legitimate monitoring mission within our own maritime domain," he said in a statement. "Hindi natin dapat hayaan na ma-normalize ang ganitong pangliliit sa ating karapatan at ang paglalagay sa panganib ng ating mga kababayan (We should not normalize this act of belittling our rights and endangering our people)," he added. On X (formerly Twitter), maritime security expert Ray Powell said BRP Datu Romapenet reversed course while en route to Sandy Cay after it was impeded by three Chinese ships. "At 0745 local time, Philippine fisheries ship BRP Datu Romapenet left Pag-Asa (Thitu) Island in the direction of Sandy Cay," he said. "It was impeded by at least 3 of China's maritime militia ships. At 9:00, it reversed course and returned to Pag-Asa. No further details yet available," he added. Estrada said the Department of Foreign Affairs should lodge a diplomatic protest and assert the country's rights once the incident is verified. "Our kababayans deserve nothing less than a government that firmly stands its ground in asserting our sovereignty and defending our nation's interest," he added. GMA News Online reached out to BFAR, Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine Navy for comment on the matter and will publish it once available. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. In July 2016, the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, based on a case filed by Manila, junked China's nine-dash line claim covering the entire SCS. Beijing has refused to acknowledge the ruling. —Sundy Locus/AOL, GMA Integrated News
