Atin Ito: China failed to scare civilian mission

MANILA, Philippines — The Atin Ito Coalition officially declared its fourth civilian mission to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) a success, saying China failed to stop, scare and intimidate the mission using its warships, coast guard boats, a helicopter and maritime militia vessels.

“We’re happy to announce that it’s mission accomplished,” Akbayan Party president Rafaela David said yesterday aboard the MV Kapitan Felix Oca en route back to Manila, with expected arrival Tuesday night.

“We were able to bring help to residents of Pag-asa (Island). Cong. Dadah Ismula was able to jetski and also our special mission, we planted the flags of the Philippines and Atin Ito at Sandy Cay or Pag-asa Cay 2,” she said.

David, the mission commander, said the accomplishments of Balik Pag-asa showed that the island is an integral part of Philippine territory.

At the same time, she announced that China, contrary to the Chinese embassy’s claims, has again failed to prevent the civilian mission from completing its goal.

“If we’re mission accomplished, China’s mission failed. They failed to scare us, no matter how many times they shadowed us with coast guard vessel, even a navy ship, while our volunteers were swimming nearby,” David said.

Despite such intimidation and harassment, she noted that Atin Ito organizers and volunteers just carried on, eventually reaching Pag-asa Island to bring food, fuel, school supplies, medicines and other goods to residents as well as entertainment courtesy of Filipino rap collective Morobeats.

Ismula, for her part, thanked those who helped make the mission a success, including the local government unit of Kalayaan, Palawan, the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, the retired Philippine Navy seals who escorted her in her stealth mission to Sandy Cay, the volunteers, doctors who joined the medical mission and both local and foreign media.

“We showed the world the peaceful gathering of civilians is stronger than any harassment,” she said.

“As the first legislator to join this operation, I witnessed the courage of our fisherfolk in the face of danger. This triumph is a message to those who threaten our territory. Filipinos know how to fight without using force. We used our presence and unity to assert our rights,” she stressed.

“Each sack of rice, each liter of crude and every bit of help we brought to the community was a symbol of caring and that no one will be left behind,” Ismula said.

According to her, the patriotic jetski flag ride that she carried out in the waters of Pag-asa Island was not just for show or a joke but rather a symbol of Philippine control and rights over the country’s waters.

The Kapitan Felix Oca, the mission’s main ship, was shadowed by one China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel less than 12 hours after it left Manila on April 30.

During the voyage to Pag-asa Island, two Canadian and Australian warships, presumably participants in the Balikatan exercises, sailed past the civilian vessel. — Andrew Ronquillo, Pia Lee-Brago