Marcos sees ‘new phase’ of escalation in West Philippine Sea
SINGAPORE — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday said China’s obstruction of a medical evacuation mission at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal appeared to signal a “new phase” of escalation in the West Philippine Sea, as he questioned Beijing’s insistence that Philippine vessels seek permission to operate in the area.
Marcos said the incident, which delayed the evacuation of a sick Filipino sailor from the grounded BRP Sierra Madre for nearly 10 hours, would be taken up in discussions concerning the provisional understanding between Manila and Beijing.
“It seems to indicate … a new phase in escalation in the actions that are being undertaken in the West Philippine Sea,” Marcos said during a Kapihan interview in Singapore.
The president was asked whether the latest Chinese interference would affect the provisional understanding governing rotation and resupply missions to the Sierra Madre and ongoing negotiations for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.
READ: PH Navy man’s med evac delayed by China blockade for 10 hours
Marcos said the incident would become part of discussions on the provisional understanding, although he had yet to consider its implications for the COC negotiations.
He also rejected China’s apparent insistence that Philippine vessels secure permission before conducting activities in waters where Manila exercises its sovereign rights.
“There is no such requirement! These are our waters! What requirement?” Marcos said.
The president questioned why Chinese vessels had interfered with an operation intended to evacuate a sailor requiring medical attention.
“Even during war, the Red Cross is allowed passage. Yet we were not allowed through to pick up someone who was sick?” he said.
Evacuation delayed
On Oct. 8, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) conducted an emergency medical evacuation of a Navy sailor stationed aboard the Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal, also known as Second Thomas Shoal.
The operation was delayed for nearly 10 hours after China Coast Guard vessels obstructed the responding Philippine vessels, according to Philippine authorities.
The PCG said it deployed BRP Cabra from Lawak Island to assist in the evacuation.
At around 7:30 a.m., the vessel reached a position about 17 kilometers north of Ayungin Shoal when China Coast Guard vessel 5306, which had been shadowing it, activated its water cannon.
The Chinese vessel kept its water cannon operating as it approached the Cabra, closing from about 2.4 kilometers to roughly 366 meters, according to the PCG.
Despite the interference, Philippine authorities eventually completed the evacuation, with the sailor transported by helicopter to Puerto Princesa City for medical treatment the following morning.
READ: PH flags near-doubling of Chinese vessels in disputed waters
Provisional understanding
The latest incident came less than two weeks after the Armed Forces of the Philippines suspended a rotation and resupply mission to the Sierra Madre on Sept. 24 amid Chinese interference.
Philippine military officials said Chinese vessels had challenged the mission farther from Ayungin Shoal than in previous operations, raising concerns about Beijing’s increasingly aggressive actions in the area.
Manila and Beijing reached a provisional understanding in July 2024 aimed at managing tensions during Philippine rotation and resupply missions to the Sierra Madre.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has maintained that the arrangement involves an exchange of information and does not require the Philippines to seek China’s permission to conduct missions to its military outpost.
Ayungin Shoal is a low-tide elevation about 194 kilometers west of Palawan and lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
China continues to assert sweeping claims over much of the South China Sea despite the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated the legal basis for its expansive maritime claims.
The Philippines has repeatedly maintained that its missions to the Sierra Madre are lawful activities that do not require Beijing’s approval. /das
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