By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Was it a mistake, if not a blunder, that the permanent US military bases were booted out of the Philippines?

This question surfaced as a top Philippine Navy official noted that China only became emboldened to enter the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) “with the absence of a power,” the United States of America.

“China’s activities are always dependent on the absence of a power, the US, this has encroached into the EEZ of countries bordering the South China Sea,” Philippine Navy spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad said.

Trinidad explained that this was based on China’s previous actions not only in the Philippines but also in Vietnam.

“If you look at the actions of China, they come in whenever there is a vacuum. So looking at the history, the pullout of foreign forces from Vietnam, they came in. The pullout of the US forces from the Philippines, they came in,” the PN official said.

The permanent US military bases in Subic and Clark were closed down in 1992.

“We started noticing their markers in 1992, 1993. They prevented our gray ships from entering Mischief reef, in 1995 they established fishermen’s shelter they said it would be for maritime research, eventually they made their military bases, they militarized the area,” Trinidad added.

On Tuesday (16 April 2024), Trinidad revealed that a total of 55 Chinese vessels were monitored in different features in the WPS.

He said the following Chinese vessels were spotted in the following areas:

* Bajo de Masinloc – two Chinese Coast Guard vessels, 24 Chinese maritime militia vessels

* Ayungin Shoal – one Chinese Coast Guard vessel, five Chinese fishing vessels

* Pagasa Island – one Chinese Coast Guard vessel, 19 Chinese maritime militia vessels

* Panata Island – two Chinese maritime militia vessels

* Lawak Island – one People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessel

However, Trinidad said so far the Chinese vessels have not performed aggressive actions.

“Their activities have been varied, some of them would be lying to or stationary, others would be moving, doing patrols,” he observed.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in the Hague said China’s claims had no legal basis, a decision that China has rejected.

(el Amigo/MNM)