‘COUNTERMEASURES’ A screengrab from a video taken on Aug. 19 by the Philippine Coast Guard shows flares that had been fired by a Chinese jet fighter disrupting the view from an aircraft of the BFAR patrolling the maritime area near China-controlled Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. —PCG PHOTO
ABOARD BRP DATU SANDAY, West Philippine Sea — The Philippines on Saturday called on China to “immediately cease all provocative and dangerous actions” after Beijing launched flares from Zamora (Subi) Reef against a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) plane patrolling the West Philippine Sea on Thursday.
This was just one of several incidents of Chinese harassment in Philippine waters all in a span of one week, as the Inquirer also witnessed, being on board one of the Philippine vessels on patrol.
READ: China’s dropping of flares in WPS expected as PH asserts sovereignty – Teodoro
In a statement, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said China “unjustifiably deployed flares” from Zamora Reef while the BFAR aircraft, Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, was doing routine patrol above the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea on Aug. 22. The same BFAR aircraft, the NTF-WPS said, also faced harassment from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) during a patrol above Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal on Aug. 19.
China has controlled Panatag, a traditional Filipino fishing ground about 220 kilometers west of Zambales province, since 2012 after a two-month standoff with the Philippine Navy.
The PLAAF Chinese Fighter Jet 63270, according to the NTF-WPS, “engaged in irresponsible and dangerous maneuvers, deploying flares multiple times at a dangerously close distance of approximately 15 meters from the BFAR Grand Caravan aircraft.”
The Chinese fighter jet was not provoked, it said, yet “its actions demonstrated hazardous intent that jeopardized the safety of the personnel on board the BFAR aircraft,” the task force said.
‘Flight hazard’
Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, said that according to the BFAR pilot, flares “pose a flight hazard, similar to kites and birds, as they can cause damage to the engine and propeller of the aircraft.”
On Aug. 8, Chinese fighter jets also made a “dangerous” move against a Philippine Air Force (PAF) plane, firing flares into its path as it was flying over Panatag.
“Given that the BFAR aircraft is a turbine-propeller type, the flares could potentially be ingested by the engine, leading to engine failure and a possible crash landing,” Tarriela said.
On Friday, China’s foreign ministry said it took countermeasures against “two” Philippine aircraft that flew into its airspace over Zamora. The ministry also described the aircraft as “military.”
In separate incidents in 2019, 2021 and 2023, the Chinese fired flares from several artificial islands they had built in the West Philippine Sea as PAF patrol planes approached.
Encounters on Monday
On Aug. 19, when the BFAR plane was harassed by the Chinese fighter jet, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ship came as close as 100 m to BFAR’s vessel BRP Datu Romapenet near resource-rich Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea.
The warship with bow No. 569 also came 700 m close to the port side of BRP Datu Sanday that Monday. The Inquirer was aboard this vessel which was on a 10-day maritime patrol in the West Philippine Sea.
This was the same day a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel near Escoda (Sabina) Shoal rammed two PCG ships, the BRP Bagacay and BRP Cape Engaño.
The night before, at 6:29 p.m., another Chinese warship with bow No. 570 was spotted 55.56 km (30 nautical miles) west of Cabra Island in Occidental Mindoro.
BRP Datu Sanday issued several radio challenges to the Chinese warship, which did not respond.
Maneuvers on Thursday
On Aug. 22, a Chinese Navy helicopter with tail No. 57 hovered above the Datu Sanday and Datu Romapenet during their maritime patrol at sandbars off Pag-asa.
The helicopter, believed to be from the nearby Chinese-occupied Zamora, hovered above the Datu Sanday at least 10 times at a distance of 100 m for almost an hour.
A Chinese maritime militia vessel with bow No. 00118 also made dangerous maneuvers 50 m close to another BFAR vessel, the BRP Taradapit, which was also conducting maritime patrol in the area.
At least 18 Chinese maritime militia ships were within viewing distance while a CCG ship with bow No. 5103 was also spotted in the area.
The crew from the Chinese vessels, in response to the repeated radio challenges issued by the BFAR vessels, insisted that the waters off Pag-asa were within Beijing’s territory.
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On Saturday, the Philippines renewed its call for China to stop its aggressive actions, saying that these threaten the safety of Philippine vessels and aircraft engaged in legitimate and regular activities within the Philippines’ territory and its exclusive economic zone.