Uncoordinated passage of Chinese warships cause for concern – AFP

General Benjamin Madrigal Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff, on Friday considered as a cause for concern another incident of uncoordinated passage of five Chinese warships in the Philippine territory.

"Of course," was the initial reaction of Madrigal when asked about whether the recent passage of at least five Chinese warships along Sibutu Strait in Tawi-Tawi was a cause for concern.

"Itong mga bagay na ito (These things), to be able to prevent 'yong certain sabi nga (what they call) 'unintended' [passage], halimbawa magkaroon ng (for example there occured) unnecessary confrontations, mas maganda kung napag-uusapan 'yong mga (it's better if we talk about the) coordinations like these. Dapat nagpapaalam para masiguro natin na hindi naman nava-violate 'yong ating (They should inform us so that we can guarantee they are not violating our) territory," Madrigal lengthily explained.

Aside from posing a potential threat on the Philippines' national security, the uncoordinated passage of Chinese warships will also likely affect the relationship of the two countries as it has something to do with "respect," Madrigal believes.

"Hindi lang naman 'yong threat ang reason

(It's not only the threat that should be the reason) [for the coordination]. Kasama dyan ang respeto sa ating teritoryo, at respeto sa atin bilang kapwa bansa (It includes the respect for our territory, and for us as a nation). All these had to be agreed upon through diplomatic arrangements, kung bakit mayroon tayong (that is why we have) foreign relations," he said.

On Thursday, August 15, Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), bared that at least five Chinese warships passed through Sibutu Strait without Philippine authorities being informed about it.

Two warships were monitored in July, while three more were seen earlier this month by soldiers conducting patrol operations in Sibutu Strait.

"Warships, in general term, reconnaissance. They are armed," Sobejana said.

What Sobejana found more alarming was that all the warships turned off their automatic identification system (AIS) just as they were passing through the Philippine territory. The AIS is being used to communicate between personnel from two different vessels.

The Chinese warships only changed course, and went out of the Philippine territory when they noticed the patrolling soldiers approaching them, Sobejana noted.

With this, Benjamin said the AFP is currently conducting steps to increase naval deployment in areas where Chinese warships have been frequenting.

"Hindi lang (Not only) floating assets. Kasama dyan ang (Also included are the) coast watch systems, surveillance systems, plus in coordination with our intelligence [units] as well as the information gathering capabilities of our allies," he stated.

Prior to the uncoordinated passage of the five Chinese warships, a Chinese warship had also been spotted passing through Sibutu Strait without prior coordination in July.

This prompted the Department of Foreign Affairs to "fire off" a diplomatic protest against China.

Meanwhile, two Chinese survey ships were also found operating within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) without coordinating to the authorities earlier this month. (Martin A. Sadongdong)

Senator Panfilo M. Lacson asked yesterday whether Philippine-China relation was anchored on true friendship.

"A true friend doesn’t sneak into a neighbor’s territory with five warships, deliberately concealing identification and turning around only when detected unless there is malevolent intention,’’ Lacson, chairman of the Senate national defense committee, said.

"Mutual respect defines true friendship,’’ he stressed.