By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – A ranking naval official said Tuesday that the Philippines does not have to respond violently to a Chinese warship’s fire control radar (FCR) scanning of a Philippine Navy (PN) guided missile frigate at the Sabina Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) last March 7.
“The Rules of Engagement (ROE) are very clear to our commanding officers. Use of force for mission accomplishment is not allowed without infringing on the universal right of self-defense, defense of your men or of others,” PN spokesperson for the WPS Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad said at a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, when asked on what action the BRP Miguel Malvar can undertake following the incident.
Asked what Navy commanders would do should a more “hostile intent” be demonstrated against them by their Chinese counterparts, Trinidad said the ROE has “sufficient details for every possible scenario.”
“Details of which I cannot divulge,” he said.
Likewise, Trinidad said all actions of the PN, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in general, must be within the bounds of international law.
He added that the Philippines will not fall into the trap of firing the proverbial “first shot,” regardless of any harassment or illegal actions the Chinese might take.
“We have to understand Chinese war-fighting thought, which is to force us to fire the first shot, to force us to escalate the situation,” Trinidad said.
He said he cannot divulge the particular details of the fire control system used by the Chinese warship against the BRP Miguel Malvar or the weapon it was guiding.
He, however, stressed that such actions were “uncalled for and unprofessional.”
“Again, the weapon system is immaterial. What is highlighted here is the unprofessional conduct of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy (PLAN),” he said.
He highlighted that the BRP Miguel Malvar, which was just commissioned last year, was able to detect FCR emissions as it is capable of engaging in warfare in four dimensions – surface, subsurface, air, and cyber.
As this developed, Trinidad said 49 Chinese warships and Coast Guard vessels were monitored in the vicinity of four WPS features from March 15 to 22.
This can be broken down into nine PLAN and 19 China Coast Guard (CCG) ships in Bajo de Masinloc; three PLAN and five CCG vessels in Ayungin Shoal; three PLAN and two CCG craft at the Escoda Shoal, and one PLAN and seven CCG ships near Pag-asa Island. (PNA)
