That was how some people felt at the end of last week’s small flotilla of the “Atin Ito” coalition that had for its mission to supply food and fuel to fishermen at Bajo de Masinloc and to assert Philippine sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The excitement among the 160-odd Atin Ito volunteers, journalists, foreign observers and boat crews was palpable. There were interminable selfies and groufies all around even as the first boat started to sail out of a private port in the town of Masinloc in Zambales.

Others who stayed behind for one reason or another formed a cheery send-off crowd, hugging their friends, comrades and colleagues to bid bon voyage.

Members of one enthusiastic group of supporters from Bunyog Pagkakaisa partylist waved small Philippine flags and displayed a banner with the message “Atin ang Pinas, China layas!” (The Philippines is ours, China scram!) as they chanted, “West Philippine Sea, Atin ito!” (West Philippine Sea is ours!)

Five fishing boats initially comprised the main convoy, four of them looking like giant bancas that had large outriggers. Powered by jeepney diesel engines, these boats called “pangulong” are normally used for net fishing in the high seas.

About 100 small bancas with one or two men on board served as the escorts of the main convoy for the first leg of the planned voyage to Bajo de Masinloc, about 230 kilometers west of Masinloc, which began around 7:30 a.m. on May 15.

Objectives achieved

At noon of Day One and some 14 nautical miles (26 km) from Zambales, the Atin Ito coalition declared that it had already achieved its three main objectives, including the launch of the “peace and solidarity” convoy into the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. 

The coalition also deployed symbolic buoys to mark the country’s sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea, and completed the first round of distribution of supplies to the municipal fishermen who escorted the five boats beyond the edge of Zambales’ 12-nm (22-km) territorial waters.

The fifth boat, FB Limbos, returned to Zambales with the small fishermen, leaving the four others—the lead boat Bing Bing, and Paty, John and Aguian—to continue the voyage.

At around 6 p.m., the convoy sighted a China Coast Guard (CCG) ship for the first time since it left Masinloc. CCG 4108 was sailing in the opposite direction on the right side of the boats. 

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) patrol boat BRP Bagacay, which had been keeping the convoy company since around 10 a.m., positioned itself between the boats and the much bigger CCG ship.

CCG 4108 then made a sharp turn behind the Aguian, the tail of the convoy, and steamed away at a fast clip along the boat’s left side before disappearing in the day’s fading light. 

The PCG reported that the CCG vessel continued to shadow the convoy from about 1.6 km away.

Secret ‘advance party’

Early Thursday morning, May 16, the organizers of the all-civilian mission triumphantly announced “mission accomplished.” They said the boats would be heading back to the port of Subic after a 10-member team formed in secret was able to reach 20 nm (37 km) off Bajo de Masinloc.

It turned out that the “advance party” left Subic incognito a day ahead of the main convoy and distributed food supplies and fuel to the fishermen early dawn of Thursday.

The change in plans was part of a “contingency” the Atin Ito leadership had decided, according to Robert Francis Garcia, the volunteer team leader on the Aguian.

Rafaela David, coconvener of Atin Ito, said a small group had breached China’s “massive and illegal blockade” of Bajo de Masinloc.

The action was a “testament to the ingenuity, resourcefulness and bravery of the Filipino spirit amidst formidable challenges,” David, who happened to celebrate her 36^th birthday on that day, said in a statement.

By then, the convoy was about 50 nm (93 km) from the shoal.

“China may possess larger and more vessels, and wield strong water cannons, but we possess a secret weapon: our ‘diskarteng Pinoy,’ which, when coupled with determination and love for fellow citizens and country, can surmount even the most daunting adversity,” she said.

Mark Figueras, who led the secret operation, later told reporters that they were disguised as fishermen when they took off from Subic at 7 a.m. on May 14. By 11 p.m. the same day, they were within 20 nm (37 km) of the shoal and had latched on to a “payao,” an indigenous artificial reef, where they rested until early the next morning.

At around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, they radioed the fishermen in the vicinity that they would be distributing food and fuel. 

Not long after, several CCG ships surrounded them without warning. A People’s Liberation Army-Navy ship appeared and a helicopter flew overhead, prompting them to pull back about 10 nm (18.5 km) farther away from Bajo de Masinloc.

“Actually, the advance team planned that—not to enter [the shoal]. Our decision really was to distribute aid,” Figueras said. “But in truth, we were prepared [to go in]. If I were able to come closer, I would have planted a tarp. That’s what makes me feel bad.”

As a result of the advance team’s action, the Filipino fishermen were shooed farther away from the shoal by the Chinese, he said.

Understandable decision

The reporter Marcos Shiang, 39, who covers military and foreign affairs for Taiwan’s SET TV, said that despite being unable to get close to Bajo de Masinloc, he was impressed by the way the convoy was planned and organized. He was on the Aguian.

Although the convoy was unable to get close to the shoal, “at least we could see” how the CCG vessels and even a warship blocked the way to the shoal in an aggressive way, he said.

“I thought that we could get closer to Scarborough … so I am a little bit disappointed. But I can understand why they had this kind of decision,” said Shiang, who has covered Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If the convoy had pushed on, “something out of our control” might happen, he added.

Journalists “definitely wish to watch the big-scale confrontation,” Shiang said, but he did not want to belittle the Atin Ito leadership’s reasons for turning back.

“I also want to emphasize that we Taiwanese are harassed by Chinese fighters and ships every day. We know how it feels, and Taiwan and the Philippines are on the same boat. I hope to enhance the relationship between our two countries and people,” he said.

Oppression and bullying

The Aguian’s volunteer logistics officer, student leader Jenny Jabon, said she was happy that one group was able to make it through the blockade even if she and the others were unable to.

“In our experience during our almost two days on the open sea, we saw the kind of oppression and bullying by China. This is not normal,” Jabon, 21, said. “This is something that has now become a kind of burden for me—how I can tell this story to my community and the youth in our school, and how I can make them experience or immerse them in what I had gone through during these two days of our mission.”

“This is what victory is for me—the hope and courage to be able to tell this story to the community and what we are fighting for,” she added. 

Jabon is a senior public administration student at City College of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan and the president of the Junior Association of Local Colleges and Universities that groups 50 student council presidents nationwide.

She said she felt both angry and scared when the CCG ship came close and fast toward her boat and imagined a scene in her mind of a water-cannon attack. “I tried to calm myself then,” she said. “After our debriefing after the event, that was when I said, Oh my gosh, I’m still alive!”

No regrets

Sangguniang Kabataan Councilor Frank dela Torre, the youngest of the volunteers at 18, said he, too, had no regrets that the convoy did not come close to the shoal. But he admitted that his curiosity about this “speck” on the planet remains.

“We didn’t need to push ourselves to reach Bajo de Masinloc,” said Dela Torre, a freshman at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and a member of the Akbayan Youth. “What was important was we achieved the objective of the mission. For me, it was enough that we were in the waters [of the West Philippine Sea] and we became part of the mission. For me, that was so fulfilling and overwhelming.”

Dela Torre said he felt no fear when he saw the CCG ship heading toward the Aguian, and only thought about reporting what he was seeing and coordinating actions as the boat’s management officer.

He said he felt more empowered when he learned that he was the youngest in the Atin Ito coalition.

“That’s something that also surprised me—that I had an additional bandwidth of strength,” he said.

Is he joining the next voyage?

“For sure!” Dela Torre declared.

Read more: ‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights

The post Jubilation, relief, and a little disappointment on the West Philippine Sea appeared first on CoverStory.

The seeming premature end of the coalition’s mission, which aimed to assert Philippine sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, came at 8:25 a.m. Thursday, with Chinese vessels reportedly driving away the fishers as early as Wednesday night. 

But Atin Ito announced having outfoxed China’s forces: An advance team had already breached the Chinese blockade and reached the Filipino fishers to distribute fuel and food supplies.

The 10-member advance team composed of representatives of the Akbayan Party, Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan, and Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement reached within 25-30 nautical miles of the general vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc on May 15. 

“They swiftly delivered crucial provisions, including fuel and food, to Filipino fishers working in the area,” Atin Ito said in a statement, adding that some 1,000 liters of diesel and 200 food packs were distributed despite a Chinese Navy ship with body number 175 constantly shadowing them. 

“This feat mirrors the success of last December’s inaugural civilian mission, where Atin Ito’s smaller supply boat, the ML Chowee, navigated past Chinese vessel harassment near Ayungin Shoal to deliver supplies to frontline workers on Lawak Island,” the coalition said.

Rafaela David, Atin Ito coconvener and Akbayan president, said that “despite China’s massive blockade, we managed to breach their illegal blockade, reaching Bajo de Masinloc to support our fishers with essential supplies. Mission accomplished!” 

David said the success of the civilian mission “stands as a testament to the ingenuity, resourcefulness and bravery of the Filipino spirit amidst formidable challenges.” She added: “China may possess larger and more vessels, and wield strong water cannons, but we possess a secret weapon: our ‘diskarteng Pinoy,’ which, when coupled with determination and love for fellow citizens and country, can surmount even the most daunting adversity.” 

Despite the presence of the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Bagacay, the Atin Ito boats on Thursday were bent on reaching the shoal 50 nautical miles away from a 6 a.m. stopover to harvest fish from a Filipino-installed payaw or artificial reef.

The boats will distribute their remaining fuel and food supplies to Filipino fishers who were informed of this arrangement before heading to Subic, Zambales, in the afternoon, arriving there on Friday.

Read more: ‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights

The post ‘Atin Ito’ heads back; ‘Mission accomplished!’ appeared first on CoverStory.

Two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) ships appeared as four Filipino fishing boats ferrying civilian volunteers of Atin Ito and Filipino and foreign journalists made their way to the shoal late Wednesday. 

Except for one boat developing engine trouble, the marine convoy sailed without incident until around 6:20 p.m., shortly before sunset, when the CCG ships showed up on the horizon.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) confirmed that one of the Chinese vessels with bow number 4109 was “within 1800 yards from the group.” 

“At 6:27 PM, another CCG vessel with bow no. 4108 was sighted with an estimated distance of 800 yards, and CCG 4109 is still shadowing with the estimated distance of 1.1 nautical mile,” the PCG said.

The PCG’s BRP Bagacay, which is escorting the Atin Ito mission, and CCG 4108 exchanged radio challenges as the boats were 50 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinloc. The two Chinese vessels tried to get into position in a manner aimed at dividing the contingent but were unsuccessful due to the evasive maneuvers of the mission boats’ pilots. 

The Bagacay maintained its close distance to the Atin Ito boats, to thwart any other divisive attempt by the Chinese ships. At 10 p.m., the boats carrying food and other provisions including fuel to fishers in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal were well on the way to their destination. The boats sailed out of Masinloc Bay, Zambales, about 220 kilometers from the shoal, early Wednesday morning. 

The expedition is composed of four large fishing vessels carrying a total of 71 crew members and 86 civilians including Atin Ito members and journalists. 

Here is the PCG’s tally of the mission participants: FFV John, 26 crew and 25 passengers; FFV Aguian, 7 crew and 18 passengers; FFV Paty, 9 crew and 14 passengers; and FFV Bingbing, 29 crew and 29 passengers 

Early Wednesday, the PCG reported that it had dispatched two more vessels to escort the expedition and provide security assistance: the BRP Panglao and BRP Boracay. An aircraft also flew ahead of the mission boats to monitor the goings-on at the shoal.

Atin Ito reported on Wednesday that the three main objectives of the mission had been achieved: to conduct a peace and solidarity regatta composed of civilian marine vessels and small fishing boats to the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone; to lay down buoys/markers carrying the message “WPS, Atin Ito!”; and to complete the first round of distributing supplies, including fuel and food packs, to Filipino fishers. 

The Atin Ito mission is now in the second phase of its voyage, aiming to reach the vicinity of Panatag Shoal for another round of supply distribution to Filipino fishers in the area.

Read more: ‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights

The post Chinese Coast Guard ships dog ‘Atin Ito’ mission appeared first on CoverStory.

Atin Ito coconvener Edicio dela Torre said China’s conduct as a superpower bullying a small country like the Philippines is not the “best message” to deliver to the international community as a “major contender” in a world where the rules should be fair to all.

“We are also communicating to the world that this is not our fight alone,” Dela Torre said. “This is the struggle of the whole community of nations to have a rules-based international order.”

Atin Ito said Wednesday’s voyage is for “peace and solidarity” with Filipino fishermen who have been deprived of one of their rich fishing grounds.

It is meant to assert civilian rights over Scarborough Shoal—also known as Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal—which has been controlled by China since 2012.

Food and other provisions

According to the organizers, the flotilla of dozens of fishing boats will bring food and other provisions, including fuel, to fishers in the vicinity of the shoal located about 220 kilometers west of Zambales province.

Volunteers on the boats will also release orange buoys painted with the words “Atin Ito” close to Scarborough as a symbolic gesture to reiterate the Philippines’ stake in the shoal.

The coalition is rejecting Beijing’s “propaganda” line that the Philippines’ actions in asserting its rightful access to Scarborough is being done at the bidding of the United States.

Dela Torre said Beijing had been depicting Manila as a “pawn” in its international rivalry with the United States in a battle for “supremacy” in the region and in the world.

“And that’s why it hurts us personally,” he said. “Why are we only classified always as implementors of some American strategy? We have our own minds.”

The coalition expects the Chinese coast guard and their maritime militia to block its path, as they had done many times in trying to stop the delivery of supplies to Filipino troops on the BRP Sierra Madre, the military outpost at Ayungin Shoal, which is also well within the country’s EEZ.

A similar Atin Ito mission to Ayungin last December had to be aborted to prevent a confrontation with a China coast guard ship that had shadowed its supply vessel.

“If China is militarizing our own exclusive economic zone, we are there to civilianize our own seas because at the end of the day, we stand by our own belief that the West Philippine Sea should be accessible to ordinary citizens, especially our fisherfolk communities whose livelihood depends on the sea,” said Atin Ito coconvener Rafaela David.

Shelter from storms

China started to block the entrance to Scarborough’s lagoon, a generations-old fishing ground for Filipinos that also provides them shelter during storms, in June 2012.

This followed a standoff with the Philippine Navy, which tried to apprehend Chinese fishermen who illegally harvested endangered giant clams at the shoal and severely damaged its reefs in the process.

The blockade prompted the Philippines to challenge China’s sweeping claims to nearly all of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, which is part of the country’s 370-kilometer EEZ.

The international arbitral tribunal decided in favor of the Philippines in 2016. The arbitral award invalidated China’s historical claim to these waters and ruled that although Scarborough is within the Philippines’ EEZ, it should remain open as a common fishing ground not only for the Philippines but also for China and Vietnam.

Beijing refuses to recognize the ruling.

Another view being spread by Beijing is that the Philippines is provoking China into an open armed conflict in their maritime dispute to justify US intervention in support of the Philippines, America’s defense treaty ally.

But war does not result in any good to anyone, said Dela Torre, a former priest.

“We want to say very clearly to China and to the world: We don’t want to escalate violence. We don’t want war. We want peace,” he said, adding that peaceful negotiation should be pursued by both sides.

Dela Torre said some groups say that if Filipinos want peace, then they should just surrender their sovereign rights to the Chinese. “That’s a bit too much. Appeasement, in general, never works with bullies,” he said.

Read more: ‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights

The post ‘Atin Ito’s’ mission is for Philippine sovereign rights and a rules-based global order appeared first on CoverStory.

Leaders of “Atin Ito” (This is Ours), a coalition of social movements, nongovernment organizations, fisher groups, artists, citizens, Church leaders, and entrepreneurs, said they are flexing civilian might in pursuit of an “active citizenship model” to counter China’s incursions in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. 

Rafaela David, one of the conveners and Akbayan Party president, expressed hope that the mission as a show of active citizenship would unite Filipinos in safeguarding the nation’s rights and territorial integrity.

The open-sea action by Atin Ito comes after a similar daring trip to Bajo de Masinloc last December. Organizers said it is being mounted in response to China’s claim that the Philippines has agreed to a “new model” concerning parts of the West Philippine Sea, and addresses the ongoing violence and harassment endured by Filipino fishers and frontliners particularly near Masinloc, Zambales, and Scarborough Shoal.

‘Genuine Filipino model’

“This is one of the genuine Filipino and progressive models we adhere to, unlike the fake narratives of a ‘gentleman’s agreement,’ ‘common understanding,’ and a ‘new model’ propagated by China,” David said in a press conference at the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) building in Quezon City last Wednesday.

Edicio Dela Torre, another convener and PRRM president, said the mission coincides with the Farmers and Fisherfolk Month in May, which, he added, is the month of Mary, the guide and protector of Filipino Catholic seafarers. 

Organizers said a “peace and solidarity regatta” would be conducted off Masinloc, with symbolic markers and buoys bearing the message “WPS, Atin Ito!” installed in territorial waters. 

“This is not a sightseeing excursion to seek out Chinese marine vessels or a provocation to incite conflict. It is a legitimate exercise of Filipino citizens within our own territory,” David said. She reiterated that the mission upholds peaceful means of asserting sovereignty and rejects aggression or provocation.

“Our approach is grounded in reclaiming what rightfully belongs to us, guided by international law and diplomatic principles,” she said.

Present at the press conference were retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio, retired Rear Admiral Rommel Ong, Kalibo (Aklan) Mayor Juris Sucro, and Fr. Robert Reyes, along with fisher leaders from the Subic Commercial Fishing Association, the New Masinloc Fisherfolk Association, the Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Samahan sa Kanayunan (PSKK), the Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka, and student leaders from Akbayan Youth and the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines.

‘Not a war zone’ 

PKSK chair Ruperto Aleroza said the groups seek to declare Scarborough Shoal as “a fishing zone, not a war zone.” He said the issue is “fishing to provide food not only to our family but the country.”

Atin Ito leaders said they are in coordination with the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea and other concerned government agencies on mission matters.

“The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has been duly informed of our mission and itinerary, and is committed to closely monitor the mission, with the safety and security of all participants as its paramount concern,” the coalition leaders said in a press statement.

“We acknowledge the potential for our mission to face interruptions and/or be cut short due to safety and security concerns posed by Chinese marine vessels. While we will try our best to realize the main objectives of our second civilian mission, your safety and security remain our utmost priority,” they told the participating journalists. 

Last month, Chinese coast guard vessels fired water cannons on two Philippine vessels, the PCG’s BRP Bagacay and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ BRP Datu Bankaw, which were bringing food and fuel to Filipino fishers in Bajo de Masinloc.

“This is barbarism at sea,” Akbayan’s David said. “This is ungentlemanly, to say the least, for a country which supposedly had a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with us. For a trespassing entity in our territory, the sight of two Chinese coast guard vessels simultaneously firing water cannons at a solitary Philippine vessel is shameless beyond measure.” 

China’s water cannon strategy is “not working,” according to David. China’s water cannon attacks in the West Philippine Sea “is a broken philosophy,” she said. “They are not getting the desired results. On the contrary, they only nourish Filipino resolve in the West Philippine Sea.”

Read more: Marcos urged to push proposed Maritime Zones Act in the face of China’s ‘10-dash’ line map

The post ‘Atin Ito’ sets new mission to Scarborough Shoal to assert Filipinos’ fishing rights appeared first on CoverStory.