Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Western Command (WesCom) welcome Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson upon his arrival in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Saturday morning (November 20).
Amid recent tensions over the West Philippine Sea, Lacson flew to the area from Manila via private plane as a gesture of goodwill to a small community of Filipinos, trying to lead quiet lives in that coastal village of Kalayaan, Palawan and to send a clear message to everyone that the West Philippine Sea belongs to the Philippines.
On Tuesday, three Chinese Coast Guard vessels fired off a water cannon on two Philippine ships to stop them from going to Ayungin Shoal, which is approximately 225 kilometers away from Pag-asa Island. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. promptly protested the incident in “the strongest terms” to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing and even reminded China that the attacked Philippine ships are “public vessels” and covered by the Philippine-US defense treaty.
China, however, remained unapologetic and said that the Philippine boats “trespassed into the waters” near Ayungin Shoal (international name: Second Thomas Shoal, Chinese name: Ren’ai Jiao).
The AFP WesCom is expected to brief Lacson, chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, on the status of Pag-asa Island. The scheduled visit is also part of his ongoing serious commitment to study the matter as one of the presidential aspirants seeking to lead the country in the next six years.
Also known as Thitu Island, Pag-asa is the second largest of the disputed Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea.