Verbal row over reef militia sizzles; Duterte, Huang meet

THE presence of a fleet of Chinese ships in the Julian Felipe Reef were among the issues discussed by President Duterte during his recent meeting with Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian, Malacañang said on Thursday, as harsh exchanges on the subject, from various parties, continued to rule social media.

In an online press briefing, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque confirmed the discussion happened last week around the time he tested positive for Covid-19.

During the meeting, he said the President expressed concern over the incident in Julian Felipe Reef.

“The President said...that we, like any other country, are concerned with such large number of ships. The Chinese ambassador said [the crew of the said ships] are fishermen, who sought shelter [in the reef],” Roque said.

The claim that Chinese fishermen sought refuge in the reef from turbulent waters in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) was earlier floated by the Chinese embassy, but critics pounced on this, citing Beijing’s record of decades-long misrepresentations about their activities n disputed waters, now deemed a flashpoint in the region.

In the course of their discussion, Roque said, Duterte reiterated the position he made during his speech before the United Nations in September, that he will protect the country’s territories in the WPS, including the Julian Felipe Reef.

Last Sunday, the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) reported the entry of 200 ships in the Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun Reef) on March 7, 2021.

The Julian Felipe Reef is a boomerang-shaped shallow coral reef, which is part of the country’s exclusive economic Zone (eez) and Continental Shelf (CS) since it is located approximately 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan.

Roque clarified the meeting between Duterte and Xilian was scheduled long before the controversy over the reef presence of the ships, which experts said look more like militia ships than those of fishermen.

“It was a social call because it is the birthday of the President,” Roque said.

The President will celebrate his 76th birthday on Sunday.

For the special occasion, Roque said, Duterte wishes for an end of the pandemic and a restoration of a sense of normalcy in the country.

Sharp rebuke

ON Thursday, the Chinese embassy issued a sharp rebuke on Twitter in the wake of the increasing exchanges of notes in social media, saying: “If the so-called ‘facts’ are false from the beginning, you couldn’t be more wrong to repeat the mistakes. Understand and respect the fact before you make any comment.”

The embassy did not make clear to whom the message is directed, but the belligerent tone followed the expresssion of support aired by several embassies in Manila, calling both the Philippines and China to settle the issue in a peaceful manner.

Earlier, the United States, UK, Canada and Japan issued similar calls, supporting Manila’s call for the Chinese militia’s withdrawal, and at the same time, asking both parties to settle their differences peacefully.

Earlier, the Chinese embassy said the Philippines and China can “properly handle relevant issues” on the South China Sea.

This was a response to the US Embassy’s statement saying, “Chinese maritime militia intimidate, provoke and threaten other nations.” The US said it stands with the Philippines, their oldest treaty ally in Asia.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. tweeted, also on Thursday, “We have enough to trigger the Mutual Defense Treaty if just one of our frigates or Philippine Coast Guard vessels are attacked in defense of our national territory. OR NOT. It depends on the US.”

He said the “deterrence theory gives powerful assurance the USA will support the Philippines, adding, “The cowards in CINCPAC [Commander-inchief, US Pacific Fleet] have retired.”

The Harvard-trained lawyer said: “Whether you like Americans or not, US is the only hegemon that pays in blood & treasure to protect your country’s sovereignty—what you do with it is your problem.

“And it asks nothing in return. It is dead set on beating back Oriental despotism however materially successful it is.”

In another tweet, the former lawmaker and journalist repeated the changes in the country’s foreign policy, thus: “Friend to friends, enemy to enemies. A worse enemy to a false friend. Peace is overrated. It cannot be at any price especially of loss of honor.”

On the Chinese embassy’s telling him one of his tweets seems misleading, Locsin said Chinese social media had interpreted his expression “fire at will”—as an order to fire guns at Chinese boats, when he meant, “unmistakably our diplomatic protest.”

Locsin said, “I am not responsible for totalitarian distortions of plain English. Correct it yourself.”