By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Following reports from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) that Chinese fishermen were allegedly dumping cyanide to destroy the resource-rich Bajo de Masinloc, the National Security Council (NSC) on Monday said that once validated it will forward the report to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), which are preparing a case against China for environmental degradation.

“Ang sabi namin sa BFAR, complete the documentation that you have taken, ‘yung mga ebidensya at affidavits na makukuha natin, submit your post-mission reports to the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea. We will investigate this report,” NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said.

BFAR Chief Information Officer Nazario Briguera on Saturday (17 February 2024) said China was committing a violation with its deliberate destruction of the Bajo de Masinloc, which “undermines the sustainability not just of our waters but of the whole world.”

“The challenge dito is to prove the responsibility for the coral degradation and the impact to the environment is coming from these specific people,” Malaya noted, referring to some Chinese fishermen.

According to data from BFAR, there are about 385,300 Filipino fisherfolk who depend on the West Philippine Sea for their livelihood.

The data also showed that these fisherfolk catch around 275,520 metric tons of fish annually, which is between 6 and 7 percent of the Philippines’ entire fisheries sector.

(el Amigo/MNM)

MANILA — An official from the National Security Council (NSC) revealed on Monday that more countries are likely to join the Philippines in its West Philippine Sea (WPS) patrols.

In an interview, NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said: “Meron din joint patrols na mangyayari in the future kasama yung ibang bansa gaya ng Japan, Australia na nagpapakita rin ng suporta sa ating bansa.

This statement follows the deployment of United States vessels, including the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-71), during the second “maritime cooperative activity” with the Philippines in the WPS from January 3 to 4.

In the same activity, the Armed Forces of the Philippines deployed Philippine Navy vessels BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (PS-15), BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16), and BRP Davao Del Sur (LD-602).

Apart from the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-71), the US Indo-Pacific Command deployed a cruiser, two destroyers, and multiple combat aircraft, sending a strong signal to China that the Philippines has robust support from its allies.

Malaya expressed hope for smooth future resupply missions in the WPS, emphasizing the critical importance of the BRP Sierra Madre and the Ayungin Shoal in safeguarding Philippine sovereignty.

When asked about China’s interest in targeting resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in the Ayungin Shoal, Malaya outlined strategic reasons, stating, “Una malapit sa mischief reef, pangalawa sa tingin naming good candidate for a transformation to an artificial island. Pag nakuha nila, gagawan ng military base kasi malawak at madaling ireclaim, magaling naman sila sa reclamation. Pangatlo, sa tingin ko nangigigil sila dyan kasi malapit sa Recto Bank kung nasaan yung sinasabing napakaraming natural gas at mineral deposit or oil na magagamit ng China kung sakaling sila ang makakuha sa lugar na iyan.”

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Despite the prospect of holding peace talks to end the longest Maoist insurgency in this part of Asia that has claimed thousands of lives and damaged properties, the National Security Council (NSC) on Wednesday assailed the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) after it came out with a statement for its 55th anniversary which indicates that it will still carry on their “protracted armed struggle” against the government.

NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya took note of the CPP statement amid ongoing exploratory peace negotiations between the Marcos Jr. administration and the Maoist rebels.

“The Party outlines tasks to strengthen the NPA and the revolutionary armed struggle, and carry forward the revolutionary mass movement, and the people’s struggles against the US-Marcos regime,” the CPP said in its statement marking its 55th foundation anniversary.

To recall, the CPP was founded by Jose Maria Sison on December 26, 1968, which coincided with the birthday of Mao Zedong of China.

Sison died in the Netherlands where he sought refuge in 1987 after being freed from detention when the Cory Aquino administration took over.

The local communists have copied the doctrines of Mao Zedong like what they call “protracted people’s war by encircling the cities from the countryside.”

They also envisioned to topple down the government primarily through “armed struggle” and establishing what they called a “revolutionary coalition government” under the “direction of CPP.”

NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya lamented that instead of calling to abandon armed struggle in its anniversary statement, the CPP doubled down on its commitment to pushing it.

“To make matters worse, the CPP in the same Anniversary Statement called the forthcoming ‘exploratory talks’ resulting from the Oslo Communique as ‘an additional battlefield to advance the national democratic cause’,” Malaya noted.

He pointed out: “The use of the word ‘battlefield’ is telling. This only means that the CPP has not abandoned its original position.”

Meanwhile, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) also said on Wednesday that there are no more active guerilla fronts in the NPA (New People’s Army) which he said are “on their last leg.”

NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. claimed that there are only 14 “weakened” guerilla fronts left in the communist armed group.

“Ensuring their total dismantling will be our prerequisite for us to initiate our next steps in ensuring peace,” Torres declared.

The NTF-ELCAC also claimed that six more guerilla fronts have been dismantled recently.

(El Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — The National Security Council (NSC) on Monday (18 December 2023), brushed off apprehensions that China is in “invasion mode” on Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), saying only one of the Chinese ships remained in the area.

Ray Powell, SeaLight director at the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, earlier wrote about a supposed swarming of Chinese vessels inside the Ayungin Shoal within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

“On Monday, December 11th, the day after this past weekend’s contentious Philippine resupply mission to Second Thomas Shoal, an extraordinary 11 Chinese vessels were visible inside the shoal while dozens more clustered around its exterior,” he wrote on the SeaLight’s website.

Powell added: “This highly unusual invasion of the shoal’s interior appears to have been a calculated show of force by Beijing.”

But NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya reputed Powell’s report.

“I got the latest data bago ako lumabas dito sa ating programa na iyong Chinese Maritime Militia ay umalis na po lahat. They already left as of yesterday’s report… Ang naiwan na lang as per our latest monitoring is one Coast Guard vessel, iyong CCG (China Coast Guard) 5204,” Malaya disclosed in a televised briefing.

In a related development, Malaya lauded the joint statement signed by Japanese and Southeast Asian leaders which showed strong support for the Philippines’ position on the WPS.

“Marami sa mga kababayan natin ang nagtataka, bakit iyong mga ibang ASEAN countries ay hindi nagsasalita kapag mayroong mga insidente ng nangyayari sa West Philippine Sea? Kaya ikinatuwa ng National Security Council iyong naging bunga ng pagsusumikap ng ating Pangulong Marcos na mahikayat iyong iba’t ibang bansa na suportahan iyong position ng Pilipinas,” Malaya noted.

(ai/mnm)

By Junex Doronio

WARY OF A POSSIBLE CONFLICT, the National Security Council (NSC) on Tuesday said it “does not support” a planned December 5 civilian resupply mission by Atin Ito Coalition to Ayungin Shoal where the BRP Sierra Madre was grounded as a symbol of the country’s sovereignty over the area which is also being claimed by China.

NSC spokesperson Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya clarified that the council supports the intent of the Atin Ito Coalition “in principle” but said, “undertaking such a convoy to Ayungin Shoal at this time of heightened tensions between the Philippines and China is ill-advised.”

“The National Security Council does not support the planned Christmas Convoy to BRP Sierra Madre (LS 57) in Ayungin Shoal or any similar undertaking to the said shoal,” Malaya said in a statement.

To recall, the BRP Sierra Madre is a World War II-era ship that was deliberately grounded at Ayungin Shoal in 1999 during the administration of then President Joseph “Erap” Estrada to serve as a military outpost over the contested waters.

It has since become a symbol of the Philippine sovereignty over the Ayungin Shoal which is only 115 nautical miles away from Palawan.

“We have a right to be there because that’s our EEZ (exclusive economic zone), and the coastal state that has the jurisdiction over the EEZ has the right to put up structures in its EEZ,” former Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said.

But on October 9, the Chinese foreign ministry insisted on its claim over Ayungin Shoal which it calls Ren’ai Jiao, saying the territory was never owned by the Philippines.

Carpio, however, said that if China attacks the permanent structure in Ayungin Shoal, the Philippines can report the case to the international arbitral tribunal.

The United States has also reaffirmed its commitment to defend the Philippines in case of an armed attack by an external force.

(ai/mnm)