China arresting Filipinos in WPS is 'unacceptable’ — navy official

A navy official said the Philippines will not allow China to arrest Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea, noting that there are contingency plans in place to secure the safety of fishermen and defend their rights to their traditional fishing ground.

In a press conference at Philippine Army headquarters, Navy spokesperson for the WPS, Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad, said China’s new detainment policy in the South China Sea won’t deter the AFP from performing its mandate.

“When we say the AFP will protect, there are many ways how to do that. Number one, it is not purely a military action, it will entail a whole-of-government, whole-of-nation approach to ensure that every Filipino is protected not only on land but more importantly, for this particular case, in the maritime domain,” he said.

“First and foremost, we have to understand, China's statement is based on the 2021 Coast Guard Law, which they passed, effective February 1, 2021,” he noted.

Trinidad explained that China's approach to law-fare is not only being felt by the Philippines.

“It's also being done in the East China Sea, against Japan, and against South Korea. We expect the same also with Vietnam soon,” he said.

After passing such a law, Trinidad noted that China would remain silent and would threaten another nation to implement its policy.

“That is what is happening right now in the West Philippine Sea when they stated that they will start arresting fishermen intruding into their own territory. I would like to emphasize the statement of our Commander-in-Chief, 'This is totally unacceptable',” he stressed.

Trinidad said China’s detainment policy “has no basis”; any action by the China Coast Guard in the Philippine waters will be “illegal and unacceptable.”

"Not only the Philippine Navy but the entire government and nation will not allow this arrest, based on the pronouncement of our commander-in-chief that this is totally unacceptable,” he said.

Citing the Arbitral Tribunal ruling in 2016, Trinidad reiterated China’s nine-dash line claim “does not have any legal entitlements.”

“The guidance is we will just continue performing our mandate of ensuring the integrity of the national territory, protecting the Filipinos, and securing or protecting our sovereignty,” he underscored.

“It will not deter us from performing our mandate,” he added.

Also, Trinidad said the country’s rotation and resupply missions in the WPS will continue despite China’s arrest threat.

“Our deployment, our plans are proactive. They are dynamic,” he noted.