By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Undaunted by the “huge force” that China has sent to Scarborough Shoal, the civilian mission to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) led by the Atin Ito coalition will proceed as scheduled on May 14 to 17.

This was the firm stance on Monday (13 May 2024) of Rafaela David, co-convenor of the Atin Ito coalition, which vowed that they “shall press forward with our peaceful voyage undeterred by any intimidation.”

“We will sail with determination, not provocation, to civilianize the region and safeguard our territorial integrity,” David stressed in a statement.

The Atin Ito coalition made the statement after former US Air Force official and former defense attaché Ray Powell, who is monitoring the situation in the WPS, claimed that China is sending a “huge force” to blockade Scarborough Shoal ahead of the Philippines’ civilian mission to the area.

“China is sending a huge force to blockade Scarborough Shoal ahead of the Atin Ito civilian convoy setting sail from the Philippines Tuesday. By this time tomorrow at least four coast guard and 26 large maritime militia ships are on blockade (not counting ‘dark’ vessels),” Powell said.

But David, who is also Akbayan president, pointed out that the “peaceful” civilian mission set from May 14 to 17 is a legitimate exercise of Filipino citizens’ rights and Philippine sovereign rights based on international law.

“The reported heavy presence of Chinese marine vessels in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) is lamentable, but not surprising. It only underscores the urgency of civilianizing the area in response to China’s militarization,” David said.

For his part, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea (WPS) Commodore Jay Tarriela said the PCG will ensure the safety of the participants of the civilian mission amid the presence of Chinese vessels in Scarborough Shoal.

“For the PCG, ang mandato natin siguraduhing ligtas ang mga gagamit ng karagatan as a maritime mandate of the Coast Guard. So as far as the Coast Guard is concerned, that is the only thing we are only focusing into na siguraduhing malayang makakapaglayag ang ating mga kasamahan sa Atin Ito Coalition,” Tarriela quipped.

(el Amigo/MNM)