Civic leader Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia has called out China’s reported underwater activities near Panatag Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc), saying Filipinos should not be expected to tolerate intimidation in waters that fall within the country’s maritime domain.
Of particular concern are reports involving retrofitted People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia (PAFMM) platforms, described as ‘ghost research ships.’ Operating under the appearance of civilian oceanographic research, these vessels are reportedly deploying autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to map submarine transit corridors and collect data that could be used for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), rather than to study marine life.
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.
Goitia said Beijing must not be allowed to hide potentially military activities behind the language of scientific research.
‘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.
The issue also raises questions under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Article 246 generally requires coastal state consent for marine scientific research in 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.
Goitia also commended the Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, and Armed Forces of the Philippines for continuing to monitor and protect the country’s maritime domain. He said the personnel carrying out these duties must know that the nation stands behind them.
‘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.
We will not bow to intimidation. 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.