Civic leader flags China's suspected underwater operations near Panatag

A civic leader has raised concerns over reported Chinese underwater activities near Panatag Shoal, warning that vessels operating under the guise of scientific research could be gathering information for military purposes.

In a statement Saturday, Oct. 31, Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia, chairman emeritus of several civic organizations, urged authorities to closely monitor Chinese maritime activities amid continuing tensions between the Philippines and China.

Goitia cited reports involving retrofitted Chinese maritime militia vessels described as "ghost research ships," which allegedly deploy autonomous underwater vehicles to map submarine transit routes and collect information potentially useful for anti-submarine warfare.

He said the reported activities raised questions about whether the vessels were conducting legitimate scientific research or gathering military intelligence.

“This is not a concern the Philippines can simply brush aside. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is investigating unidentified equipment fitted with sensors and antennas aboard a Chinese vessel spotted inside the shoal's lagoon. Authorities are looking into whether the equipment is a submersible or intended for underwater operations,” he said.

Goitia urged Beijing to clarify the purpose of its reported activities, stressing that scientific research should not be used to conceal potential military operations.

"China must stop treating our waters as though they are its own. Filipinos have endured enough intimidation and harassment in our maritime domain. We have every right to know what foreign vessels are doing in our waters, and we will not accept activities that threaten our security or disregard our sovereign rights. We are not asking permission to defend what is ours," he said.

He also raised concerns over possible implications under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Goitia cited Article 246, which generally requires coastal state consent for marine scientific research within its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, subject to the convention's provisions.

“Article 240 requires such research to be conducted exclusively for peaceful purposes,” he said.

Goitia commended the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, Armed Forces of the Philippines and security and intelligence agencies for monitoring maritime developments.

He also called for continued government and public support for personnel deployed to protect the country's maritime interests.

"They see the pressure at sea firsthand. They know what it means to face vessels that seek to challenge their presence in our own waters. The least we can do is give them our full support. The government and the Filipino people stand with them. They are not defending these waters for themselves. They are standing up for every Filipino," Goitia said.

“The Philippines has no desire for conflict. But neither should it be expected to stay silent whenever its rights are challenged. Peace cannot mean allowing another country to dictate what Filipinos can do in their own maritime domain,” he added.

Goitia maintained that the Philippines should resist intimidation while asserting its maritime rights.

“We will not surrender our maritime rights. And we will not abandon our responsibility to defend our sovereignty. China must understand that the Filipino people will not be bullied in their own waters. Our defenders will never stand alone.”