Philippine Navy awaits orders

The Philippines may choose to send non-military ships to the Scarborough Shoal area.

The Philippine Navy is waiting for President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to order them back to Scarborough Shoal after it was confirmed that Chinese ships had not withdrawn from the disputed territory despite an agreement to do so. “The Navy is waiting for the president’s order,” Vice Admiral Alexander Pama, the Philippine Navy chief, told a television interview.



Inside the newly inaugurated school in Pag-asa. Photo: AP

Previously, President Aquino had said he could order Philippine ships to return to Scarborough Shoal if the Chinese continued to be present there. However, according to the website The Philippine Star, Mr. Pama admitted that the Presidential Palace has not yet given the signal for the Philippine Navy to return to the shoal. At the same time, he said that the country is choosing the option of sending non-military ships to the area.

Philippine presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the presidential office will not rush to order the return of ships to Scarborough Shoal even though Chinese vessels continue to maintain their presence in the disputed area. In addition, Lacierda said President Aquino will have to meet with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to discuss the possibility of re-mobilizing Philippine ships to Scarborough Shoal. In addition, Lacierda said that weather will still be one of the factors to consider when sending ships to the shoal. He was referring to Typhoon Dindo that made landfall in the Philippines on the afternoon of June 26.

Meanwhile, a patrol team of four Chinese maritime surveillance ships from the coastal city of Sanya in Hainan Province set off for the South China Sea on June 26 for a routine patrol. According to Xinhua, the fleet is expected to sail more than 2,400 nautical miles and will conduct a formation exercise if conditions permit.

Earlier, on June 25, China warned the Philippines about the opening of an elementary school on Pag-asa Island off the coast of Palawan province. The school was inaugurated on June 15. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China opposes any illegal actions that could infringe upon its sovereignty. Hong stressed that Manila needs to exercise restraint so as not to further complicate the current situation and affect peace and stability in the East Sea. According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, there are currently about 200 Filipinos living on Pag-asa Island, which has been under Philippine control since the 1970s.

In another development related to the territorial sovereignty dispute, on June 26, China again demanded that Japan stop its new destabilizing actions regarding the Diaoyu Islands (called Senkaku in Japan) and protect the common interests of bilateral relations through concrete actions. Mr. Hong Lei made the above statement in response to the event of 8 Japanese parliamentarians from Tokyo going to the islands on June 25. Mr. Hong once again confirmed that the Diaoyu Islands have been China's territory since ancient times and China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands. "Any unilateral action by the Japanese side regarding the Diaoyu Islands is illegal and groundless," he said.

According to Xinhua News Agency, this is the second time Japanese lawmakers have visited the Diaoyu Islands this month. Six Japanese lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties visited on June 10.

According to Nguoilaodong - MD