On China's threat to seize Pag-Asa in 2014: President Aquino and his lieutenants must not be caught flat-footed again

Pag-Asa Island air strip

"In the face of this seriously alarming China threat of invasion of Pag-Asa, the Republic of the Philippines has one realistic defence option to prove to China that we are determined to defend Pag-Asa Island: President Aquino, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines must order CSAFP to deploy a minimum of a military brigade to the island immediately. We may not have the sophisticated military material capability to do "mano-a-mano" with China's invading armed forces but we certainly have enough troops to field on Pag-Asa."

By Anne de Bretagne
For the Defenders of the Philippine Sabah & Spratly Claims
12 January 2013

Inhabitants of Pag-Asa Island, Palawan

China Daily Mail.com broke the news yesterday that the PLA Navy "has drawn a detailed combat plan to seize the island and the battle will be restricted within the South China Sea."  

Chinese troops to seize Zhongye Island* back from the Philippines, in a news report dated 11 January 2014:

"Relying on US support, the Philippines is so arrogant as to announce in the New Year that it will increase its navy and air force deployment at Zhongye Island, a Chinese island that it has illegally occupied for years.
"It will be an intolerable insult to China. According to experts, the Chinese navy has drawn a detailed combat plan to seize the island and the battle will be restricted within the South China Sea. The battle is aimed at recovery of the island stolen by the Philippines from China. There will be no invasion into Filipino territories. A report in the Philippines Star confirmed the Philippines military buildup on the island."

The threat to "seize" Pag-Asa Island should not really come as a surprise anymore to the Philippines. As early as July 2011, China media had already posted news from mainland that China was protesting "Filipino's landing on Zhongye Island". Surely, China's July 2011 protestations, which had appeared in China media, had been registered by DND and DFA officials and so, our national security experts, including President Aquino, would have known that there was every possibility that ever belligerent and aggressive China would not stop at mere protestations. Below is the July 2011 report by China Daily:

China protests Filipino's landing on Zhongye Island Updated: 2011-07-21 07:40 (Xinhua)
BEIJING - The Chinese government on Wednesday expressed "strong protest" over several Filipino lawmakers' landing on China's Zhongye Island in the South China Sea.
"China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their surrounding waters," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said when responding to a question on the Filipino lawmakers' move. Media reports said a group of Filipino lawmakers flew Wednesday to the island, which is called Pagasa Island by Filipinos, to assert their country's claim to the region.
"The move of the Philippine side seriously infringed China's territorial sovereignty," Ma said. 

That 2011 China "protest" should have been considered enough warning of some kind by our officials, by Messrs Aquino, Gazmin, del Rosario and their seconds no less. But obviously not! Seems, some people at the top are sleeping on the job and are not taking China's pronouncements and warnings seriously.

But when will our officials learn to be pro-active, not to be caught flatfooted in their job? Why, this week's news have it that the DND is not even aware that China has enforced some kind of fishing authorisation policy in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea, something that China announced they would do as early as November 2012 followed by press releases in February 2013.

According to Philippine Star, when DND Undersecretary Galvez was asked to comment on reports that China is now requiring foreign fishermen to seek its permission to operate in the West Philippine Sea, Mr Galvez said, “We will have to verify statements regarding this alleged fishing rules by China,” as he insisted that countries “are free to enforce fishing rules within their own EEZ.”

Will verify the reports about the new China "fishing regulation"? But where has DND been? What on earth is Mr Galvez mouthing? Didn't the DND know that China announced in late 2012 that they had scheduled the stop and verify, i.e., shipboarding policy, of all fishing vessels that are not Chinese in the whole of South China Sea/WPS for January 2014? 

Why, we even blogged about it in November 2012 after China threatened to shipboard foreign ships in a show of brazen ignorance and great stupidity. In fact, General J Sabban, then Western Commad commanding general promptly said of the China announced shipboarding plans, "We will repel!" So, I really don't understand why the DND is caught flatfooted again... We again blogged about China's fishing interdiction plans in February 2013: Is China about to transform South China Sea/West PH Sea into a naval war zone?  following their press announcement in the same month of the same year that they would be enforcing this policy by January 2014. In fact, in that blog, I warned:

"If the Philippine Government and its qualified maritime waters protection agencies do not move quick enough, the country -- and its fishermen, may just  lose its economic access to and its rights in its 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone for good."

So, if we, amateur China watchers that we are (this author included), manage to know what China's plans are and have taken them as serious warnings, enough to devote time and energy to blog about them, why is it that the Dept of Natl Defense gives the impression that they are wholly ignorant of China's plans, plans we must remind them had been broadcast long in advance?

President Aquino, Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, defence policy makers, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, members of the country's 'august' Congress, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines must not be caught flatfooted again! Yesterday's announcement by China that they will militarily seize, i.e., invade, a municipality of Palawan must be taken seriously. This is not the time to do-lally. This is not the time to ask the same question they asked themselves when China grabbed Scarborough Shoal, i.e., "But what can we do?" Any self-respecting government can come up with a few doable solutions to deter foreign invasion especially after the invading country announced its plan. The question really is how determined are we to defend our territory from China's invasion?

In the face of this seriously alarming China threat of invasion of Pag-Asa, the Republic of the Philippines has one realistic defence option to prove to China that we are determined to defend Pag-Asa Island: President Aquino, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines must order CSAFP to deploy a minimum of a military brigade to the island immediately. We may not have the sophisticated military material capability to do "mano-a-mano" with China's invading armed forces but we certainly have enough troops to field on Pag-Asa.

While a brigade of 3,000 men may not be enough, such defence move by Mr Aquino and his subalterns will send the message that our nation is prepared and will give these Chinese invading bastards the most difficult time landing on our shore. Heck, if we are brave, we can even mine Pag-Asa's coasts!

A farm on Pag-Asa Island

And in parallel, PH must launch a political and "diplomatic" offensive. Direction? The United Nations! But we must be "armed" with evidence which even this wally Aquino Govt can realistically gather today by  taking full stock of who and what is on Pag-Asa island!

It is imperative, really, of utmost importance that every person, every man, woman and child on Pag-Asa island be registered as a Filipino citizen, each carrying PH passport or a form of official PH national identification. Every single item, motorised  or not on that island, eg., car, tractor, jeep, boat, animals, farm, etc, etc, etc, is registered as a Filipino-owned property. Every single plot of land, building, edifice, etc. on Pag-Asa, both private or PH Govt owned, must be registered with the National, Provincial and Municipal governments. There must be complete inventory!

This pile or piles of Pag-Asa records must be brought and presented to the United Nations as evidence that Pag-Asa Island is PH inhabited  and is sovereign PH territory. I don't know how exactly this can be done but surely our Department of Foreign Affairs can exhaust all means, use every trick in the diplomatic and UN books to ensure that Pag-Asa Island and its inhabitants are recognised in the United Nations. The task may be Herculean but it must be done.

And lastly, it is absolutely vital that the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Marines must maintain regular operations on the waters that separate Pag-Asa from its mother island, Palawan. Provision the island by sea regularly. With China's announcement of this "imminent" danger to our sovereignty and to the hundreds of inhabitants of Pag-Asa, the Armed Forces must "re-jig" their operational plans. We must show naval presence in those waters. The Navy and the Coast Guard must patrol those waters. Even an amateur navy or maritime operations enthusiast like this author knows that patrolling and showing presence in our waters is a key element to the survival of Pag-Asa.

Pag-Asa Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon

The Aquino government must not do-lally. Sufficient warnings have been issued. Mr Aquino and his subalterns at DND, at DFA, and all of Govt, must not be caught flat-footed again. Filipinos must do everything to give themselves and our people on Pag-Asa Island a fighting chance to thwart China's invasion plans of Pag-Asa Island by being prepared. PH Govt officials and its Armed Forces must not rest until the Republic is satisfied it has done everything it can to ensure the security of our people and of Pag-Asa. (Do the inhabitants/residents of Pag-Asa Island even know that China has threatened to seize, i.e., invade, the island this year?)

If despite the warnings from China itself, our officials led by Mr Aquino fail to do what is necessary to put up a vigorous defence with the means at the disposal of the Republic, no matter how meagre they are, they must be shot not only for negligence but also for treason.


~~~~O~~~~

*China's name version for Pag-Asa Island is Zhongye Island or more commonly known as Thitu Island http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thitu_Island

**Pictures of people, places and life in Pag-Asa Island, lifted from Mabuhay City Forum

Related blog posts:

• 29 Nov 2012: China threatens to shipboard foreign ships in a show of brazen ignorance and great stupidity "Police in Hainan will be authorized to board and search ships that illegally enter the province's waters in 2013, as part of China's latest efforts to protect the South China Sea." From GBTimes.
• 06 February 2013: Is China about to transform the South China Sea-West Philippine Sea into a naval 'war zone'? "If the Philippine Government and its qualified maritime waters protection agencies do not move quick enough, the country -- and its fishermen, may just  lose its economic access to and its rights in its 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone for good."

Posted by NEMO NOS IMPUNE LACESSIT