What Do You Make of the Big Chinese Boats Sitting Close to the Coast?

I said Chinese not Taiwanese.

I'm a foreigner living in Magsingal, so this is my first hand eye witness account.

It is not uncommon there in Alangan, Puro, Ilocos Sur, to see Chinese boats offshore, like 2-3km out and they usually don't get closer. No customs here, so I'm told various goods change hands and it's not a secret. Last week there was a Vietnamese dredge and a barge bringing up sand for tin mining, apparently under license so I'm told.

Since Sunday, there's a big boat, 60 ft., there off Puro. With a small crowd on the beach watching.

So what do you make of all that encroachment to Philippine coastal waters?

BQ. Do you forsee the Philippines asking for international assistance? Will Subic be reopened to the Americans?

delive_rance2013-05-21T01:13:06Z

Favorite Answer

Will Subic be re-opened to the Americans? No need since there is already a joint military with the Americans stationed somewhere in Mindanao under the supervision of VFA or visiting forces agreement with the US. Under this provision, the Americans are stationed here in the Philippines for military maneuvers and to trained the Philippines navy and marines for military joint exercises. Opening the Subic once again will entail more money and I do not think the Philippines government will allow such thing to be reopened since the Philippines constitution already ban the US military bases in the Philippines.

It is not new to see Chinese fishing or military vessels anywhere in the Philippines especially the disputed West Philippines sea area because this is where the Chinese are claiming the spratley island and other islands there for their own sovereignty.

Do we forsee the Philippines asking for international assistance?
No. I do not see such assistance would be serve to us in a silver platter. We should provide our own military forces to guard our sea lanes in case of invasion from foreign vessels such as the Chinese or the Vietnamese forces. We are already invaded everynow and then by the Chinese since the last 2 years of finding the islands rich in minerals and fossil fuels not to mentioned the fishing area is abundant with so any different kinds of aquatic resources.

SpamlessSam2013-05-21T08:14:59Z

not that I believe this rumor, however it would not surprise me for china to use merchant raider ships to fabricate another 'confrontation' with the PCG to claim or occupy more of the territorial waters of the Philippines based on their history of defending poachers or the more recent claims that the PCG are pirates that extort money or attack Chinese ships. It would be a great propaganda coup for a big Chinese merchant raider ship to sink or otherwise defeat a smaller PCG boat within territorial waters of the Philippines. Disguised as a merchant ship, China could plausibly deny government involvement.

I doubt the quisling arm of the Philippines gov't will ever allow 're-opening' even portions of Subic on terms acceptable to the US Navy. It looks to me like a 'too little, too late' national defense policy is developing in the Philippines, with little more than the same old promises of AFP military hardware to come online in the future, 5 or 10 years out, [pending follow thru and payment by the next administration] but no immediate short term plan to contain the immediate short term crisis, intrusions, and occupations of territorial waters ............ yawn... bukas mandami

Anonymous2016-10-19T04:13:58Z

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Overdrive2013-05-20T20:55:38Z

Maybe on an excursion.

Anonymous2013-05-20T20:29:27Z

WITH MILES OF COASTLINES AND ONLY ONE NAVY SHIP,THE PHILIPPINES CAN'T WATCH ALL OUR COAST.