China vessel shadows Atin Ito civilian mission ship

MANILA, Philippines — A China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel began shadowing the main ship of the Atin Ito civil society group coalition’s fourth civilian mission to the West Philippine Sea (WPS), less than 12 hours after the mission left Manila on Thursday night.

The Chinese vessel, with bow number 3101, started following the MV Kapitan Felix Oca at around 7:20 a.m., keeping a distance of about five nautical miles on the starboard (right) side of the ship.

The shadowing began as the civilian vessel was cruising the waters of the WPS some 60 nautical miles from Mindoro and 90 nautical miles from Manila.

Kapitan Felix Oca ship captain Jorge de la Cruz, while manning the bridge and observing the situation, told The STAR that the CCG boat was keeping its distance while “sumasabay sa speed natin (matching our speed).”

Just minutes after detecting the Chinese vessel, De la Cruz and the crew spotted two more vessels some 12 nautical miles in front of the Kapitan Felix Oca.

Though initially feared to be Chinese warships, one of the vessels was later identified as belonging to the Canadian Navy (CDN 339), which was sailing alongside and in close proximity to another military vessel.

CDN 339 and its companion ship turned out to be “friendly” vessels, presumably transiting the area as participants of this year’s ongoing Balikatan exercises.

Both warships eventually veered to the right and passed by the Kapitan Felix Oca with no incident, allowing the civilian ship carrying fuel, food, school supplies and other goods to continue sailing northwest en route to Pag-asa Island.

Atin Ito’s fourth civilian mission to the WPS, dubbed as “Balik Pag-asa,” is expected to reach the island this afternoon for a medical mission, cultural performances and the delivery of food and supplies to around 500 residents of the municipality of Kalayaan.

AFP supports mission

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) gave assurance yesterday that the military will provide maritime domain awareness and coordination for the civilian-led mission.

Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesman for the WPS, acknowledged the Atin Ito Coalition for its fourth mission “Balik Pag-asa.”

“This initiative – bringing essential fuel and food aid to our fishing communities – is a powerful testament to bayanihan and the Filipino people’s unwavering resolve to exercise their rights in the West Philippine Sea,” Trinidad said.

The Atin Ito Coalition marked International Labor Day at sea in tribute to Filipino fisherfolk and frontline workers who continue to defend and sustain livelihoods in our waters.

Volunteers aboard Kapitan Felix Oca held a short deck program and unfurled banners honoring those who work daily in the WPS – waters made increasingly dangerous by China’s illegal presence and its continued harassment of Filipino vessels.

China jams drones

Meanwhile, China is now using satellite and Global Positioning System technology to jam and prevent Chinese-made drones from being used in the WPS.

Local and international media covering Atin Ito’s mission en route to Pag-asa Island discovered how China has effectively taken some control over Philippine airspace yesterday.

Reporter Janina Angelie Magundayao and cameraman Clayford Cabrera of IBC-13 were the first to notice how their DJI brand drone was not working.

When they tried to troubleshoot the problem, their device’s controls screen showed error massages, including one that said their device was unregistered with the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

They informed and consulted with organizers of the Atin Ito mission who, through drone operator AJ Ventura, was able to confirm the new restrictions that also prevented their DJI drones from flying. –  Pia Lee-Brago