The planned “patriotic voyage” by former
Philippine Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon to the disputed Panatag Shoal
(Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc) has prompted China to go on “high
alert” in the area.
“(We)
will remain on high alert over the island to prevent any provocative behavior,”
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said in a news item posted
Friday on the Chinese government’s web portal.
Hong
also said the “Philippine side” should stop such “irresponsible remarks and
inciting radical behaviours.”
Faeldon
earlier planned to hold a “patriotic voyage” to the disputed shoal but was
dissuaded from doing so by President Aquino at the last minute on Friday.
Presidential
deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said the President asked Faeldon to
reconsider his plan because “it might be construed in a negative way”.
The
Philippine government has a policy of deescalation in the wake of the standoff
with China over the shoal.
Hong
reiterated that Huangyan Island—the name by which China refers to the disputed
shoal—is “part of China’s territory”.
He also
urged the Philippines to “come back to the right track of a diplomatic
solution” to the ongoing dispute and “send clear and consistent messages” on
the issue.
Sought
for comment, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said: “As we had said, we are
endeavoring to utilize diplomatic consultations in the hope that we can diffuse
the current circumstance in Bajo de Masinloc.”
“We
believe that a more durable solution, however, would need to be a validation of
our respective claims as provided for by the dispute settlement mechanisms
under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Del Rosario said in
a text message to the Inquirer.
On the
other hand, Faeldon’s spokesperson, Kit Guerrero, said that China appeared to
be “overreacting”.
“The
voyage never took place because the President asked Nick not to push through
with it,” Guerrero said, adding that Faeldon’s intention “was never to provoke
or agitate, but to support the country’s position in a peaceful and unarmed
way”.
“Even
if it pushed through, there was no plan to raise our flag, but only to show our
civilian presence there which is our right as citizens within our Philippine
territory,” he said.
Meanwhile,
the Filipino community in Hawaii held a community forum at the Philippine
Consulate last week to discuss current Philippine maritime issues and concerns,
more specifically those related to the dispute over Bajo de Masinloc and the
waters within its vicinity.
“The
consulate made it clear that the purpose of the forum was not to incite or
ignite anti-China sentiments but rather to provide a more academic perspective
of the current issues between the Philippines and China,” the Department of
Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The
consulate also stressed that the forum was a private initiative of the
community and not of the Philippine government, adding that many of those who
attended expressed much appreciation for the initiative.
Invited
speakers included Consul General Julius Torres, Dr. Serafin Colmenares Jr. of
the Language Access Program of the Office of the Governor, Dr. Fred Magdalena
of the University of Hawaii, and Dr. Belinda Aquino, retired professor also of
the University of Hawaii.
The
participants included members of the Hawaii Filipino Lawyers Association,
Fil-Am Youth Forum, the academe and the media.
Tina G.
Santos
Philippine
Daily Inquirer
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