2018 nang unang puntahan ng ‘Reporter’s Notebook’ ang Scarborough Shoal. Makalipas ang ilang taon, sakay ng barko ng Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources o BFAR ay muling naglayag si Jun Veneracion papunta sa pinag-aagawang teritoryo. Pero bago pa man makarating ang grupo sa bahura ay isang tensyonadang engkwentro ang sumiklab. Sundan ang buong ulat sa video na ito.
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00:00 [Music]
00:03 [Buzzer]
00:04 [Buzzer]
00:05 The ship was on board of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources or BFAR.
00:09 We headed to Escarpuro Shoal or Bajo de Masindok,
00:14 a territory in the West Philippine Sea that is inside our Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ.
00:21 [Buzzer]
00:22 But before we could reach Bahura,
00:28 a tense encounter took place.
00:30 That's a strong pressure.
00:37 The Chinese Coast Guard or CCG and their militia vessels were again seen
00:45 in the Philippine sea vehicles.
00:47 We don't stop entering here.
00:52 Of course, we are not allowed to stay here.
00:56 We are here for our countrymen. We know that the Philippines is a territorial area.
01:00 As time went by, tensions in the West Philippine Sea grew.
01:07 This is Coast Guard. This is Chinese Coast Guard.
01:11 You are inside the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of the Philippines.
01:17 But what is our fight?
01:21 And how will the Philippines fight for our rights?
01:25 This is Philippine Coast Guard vessel conducting low-powered maritime patrol
01:31 within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone.
01:34 May 2018, we first joined the trip of fishermen to Escarpuro Shoal or Panatag Shoal
01:45 or more commonly known as Calburo.
01:50 We were accompanied by the captain of the boat, Mang Delphine, Mang Rubel.
01:55 After 16 hours of sailing, we arrived at Escarpuro.
02:02 124 nautical miles away from Zambales,
02:07 Escarpuro Shoal entered the 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zone or EEC of the Philippines.
02:16 But we did not arrive yet. A speedboat of the Chinese Coast Guard approached our boat.
02:22 They asked for new catch fish.
02:28 What do you want?
02:30 Fish.
02:31 In this video of 2018, you can see the two members of the Chinese Coast Guard
02:36 crossing the boat of Mang Delphine.
02:41 After a few minutes, they opened the bag of fish for the Filipinos
02:46 and they chose the best kind of fish.
02:49 They just said "Halongkat" (goodbye) to me.
02:51 I don't want to see them. As long as they don't say goodbye, that's already "halongkat".
02:55 That's what we look down on the Filipinos.
03:07 Six months after our first sailing, I was again with Mang Delphine's group
03:13 on our way back to Escarpuro Shoal.
03:15 While we were approaching Escarpuro Shoal, we saw the Chinese Coast Guard's boats again.
03:22 But we did not expect that they would approach us with their huge boats.
03:28 Later, two speedboats from the Chinese Coast Guard approached our boat.
03:36 But they were not able to catch fish.
03:39 They told us to leave Escarpuro Shoal as soon as possible.
03:46 We are carrying out a patrol under the sea area of the People's Republic of China.
03:54 Without the permission of the China, you cannot carry out the interview.
04:01 But this is within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
04:06 If you don't leave here, we will take our own mess and our boats.
04:11 No, no, no. You need to be a foreigner.
04:14 Even though we did not agree with the Chinese Coast Guard's request
04:17 that we cannot document inside Escarpuro Shoal,
04:19 we decided to leave Escarpuro to keep the situation calm.
04:28 Five years have passed since our first visit to Escarpuro Shoal.
04:32 I joined again when we returned to Escarpuro,
04:35 when the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Bureau's boat was sailing.
04:38 December 9, 2023, our journey for the Humanitarian and Support Mission "Calm the Sea" began.
04:47 The Cardiwong Mission is carrying out 12 missions every year in Escarpuro Shoal.
04:52 But there is no particular month because they are walking.
04:57 It depends on the weather.
04:59 As we approach Escarpuro Shoal, the waves are slowly increasing.
05:05 But there is a bigger challenge awaiting us in the mission.
05:10 This is China Coast Guard, E3332.
05:13 Can I see the latest information in the Sea Area over the Hawaiian Islands?
05:19 Please inform the authorities on the following day.
05:23 We need to cover the crescent, the damping of maritime patrol
05:27 within the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of the Philippines.
05:31 You do not interfere with our activities inside the Philippine waters.
05:35 You are inside the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of the Philippines.
05:39 But this is not the end of their answers on the radio.
05:43 We are now 7 nautical miles away from Escarpuro Shoal.
05:48 The Chinese ships are still here in order to shadow the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
05:56 Later, we also saw another China Coast Guard with Ship number 3305 and Chinese militia vessels.
06:06 The B-4 airplane flew but it did not have any effect on the approaching ships of China.
06:14 It was hit at 9 in the morning.
06:18 The first one to deploy a water cannon was vessel number 3302.
06:24 The water was being pumped into the sea to hit the B-4 airplane.
06:30 We are now near the port of Escarpuro Shoal.
06:34 The water cannon of the China Coast Guard is now being pumped
06:39 to shadow the resupply mission of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
06:44 But their response?
06:48 At 11.30 in the morning, the water cannon of vessel number 3305 was hit directly
06:56 by our vehicle, BRP Datu Bangkaw.
07:00 The water cannon was hit.
07:05 It was still being pushed away.
07:09 The BRP Datu Bangkaw's radar system was hit because of the lack of water.
07:16 All the ships' crew had to go inside.
07:26 But their action is not yet over.
07:33 The water cannon also hit two more B-4 ships
07:36 that were part of the mission, BRP Datu Tablot and BRP Datu Sandai.
07:41 We will not stop going inside.
07:44 We are not going to stop here.
07:47 We are here for our countrymen.
07:49 We know that this is a territory of the Philippines.
07:52 In the midst of the chaos, the B-4 of the crew continued to provide
07:57 other aid to the Filipinos.
08:00 The Filipinos are here, not in this territory.
08:03 Aside from the two ships of China Coast Guard,
08:06 there were four Chinese militia vessels that were in chaos.
08:10 The Chinese militia's patrol reached the middle of the ship
08:21 until the railing of BRP Datu Bangkaw was damaged.
08:28 These incidents in different parts of the West Philippine Sea are not new.
08:32 And as time goes by,
08:34 the Filipinos are experiencing more and more tensions in our territory.
08:39 What is the government doing?
08:43 President Bongbong Marcos issued a statement after the incident in Scarborough.
08:50 He said that Bajo de Macinloc is a sovereign Philippine territory
08:55 and an integral part of our archipelago.
08:58 He also said that the Philippines is the only country
09:01 that has a legitimate right and legal basis to operate in the West Philippine Sea.
09:07 We also heard the testimony of retired Associate Justice Antonio Carpio
09:13 on China's more aggressive activities in the West Philippine Sea.
09:16 Carpio is a member of the legal team of the Philippines
09:20 that filed a case against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
09:25 We have a ruling already.
09:26 The next step is to go to the tribunal if China does not want to give its consent.
09:30 We should be very proactive here.
09:32 We cannot just sit and expect that China will allow us.
09:37 That is not how the world works.
09:39 You have to assert yourself.
09:40 Retired Associate Justice Carpio added that
09:44 this is a time to fight for our territory
09:47 especially since more countries are supporting the Philippines now.
09:53 The world will not tolerate the Chinese claim of the entire South China Sea.
09:58 It will not be allowed.
10:00 Because in the South China Sea, there is ISIS.
10:03 ISIS belongs to everyone.
10:06 That's why they have the right to intervene in this dispute.
10:10 China is claiming it as their national territory.
10:13 Not everyone will fight.
10:14 We are continuously raising the issue in international fora.
10:19 We are pushing for the immediate approval of the Maritime Zones Bill
10:24 in the Senate and Congress.
10:26 And we are strengthening our relationships with like-minded nations,
10:31 our allies, friends, and partners.
10:34 Within a few decades,
10:37 the Filipino fishermen are hoping to find a job in the West Philippine Sea.
10:42 We won the case.
10:44 It's obvious that China is the one in charge here.
10:48 We are the ones being banned.
10:49 And now, it seems that China is becoming more aggressive in their activities in the West Philippine Sea.
10:57 We need the right tools to protect the ocean
11:02 where we have the right,
11:05 according to the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
11:09 I am Jun Veneracion, and this is Reporters' Notebook.
11:15 [Music]
11:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]