By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
MANILA – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Wednesday condemned the dangerous maneuvers of a China People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy helicopter against a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aircraft in a recent encounter in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
In a press conference at the WPS Transparency Office in Quezon City, PCG Spokesperson for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said the incident could have ended in disaster as the PLA Navy helicopter came as close as three meters from the BFAR aircraft conducting a maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight over Bajo De Masinloc on Tuesday.
The helicopter, he said, hovered over the left wing of the BFAR aircraft, with the helicopter’s propeller wash pushing down on the aircraft.
“The (BFAR) pilot really had a hard time stabilizing the aircraft habang nagho-hover siya on the top (while the helicopter was hovering above him),” Tarriela said.
He noted that the PLA Navy pilot should have been aware of how dangerous the maneuver was due to their close proximity.
The incident, he said, was even more dangerous than when a PLA Navy helicopter hovered over BFAR, PCG, and marine scientific research personnel aboard a rubber boat in January.
“In terms of the level of dangerous act na ginawa nila, para sakin ito ang pinaka delikado sa lahat (that they’ve done, to me was the most dangerous),” he said.
Diplomatic protest
Tarriela said the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will decide on filing of a diplomatic protest over the incident.
He emphasized the importance of diplomatic protests in ensuring that the international community is aware that the Philippines is against the aggressive actions of China.
“We may not expect China to change its behavior, but we’re still going to continue, keep on filing the diplomatic protests,” he said.
In response to the PLA Navy Southern Theater Command’s statement that the BFAR aircraft illegally trespassed into Chinese territory, Tarriela emphasized that the Bajo de Masinloc is legally part of Philippine territory according to international laws and the Philippine Maritime Zones Act.
“What we did is legitimate and routine, MDA flight. It is not illegal. And if you’re going to ask me who is the one carrying out such aggressive and illegal actions, that will only be the People’s Republic of China,” he said. (PNA)
