Philippines suffers two incidents involving foreign aircrafts

Manila: The Philippines has suffered two incidents involving intruding foreign aircrafts on the South China Sea (also called the West Philippine Sea) in May and June, a senior official said, adding they were included in the complaints filed by the Philippine government against China before the United Nations, a senior official said.

Between May 2 and 4, a plane hovered close on Filipino fishermen, making them afraid for their lives while they were off at Dalagang Bukid Shoal, 131 miles from Palawan's Balabac Island in southwestern Philippines, Philippine Navy Vice Admiral Alexander Pama told Interaksyon.

"The fishermen could not identify the jet. They just reported loud sound above them, then they got nervous," said Pama, adding, "It was not definitely ours."

Last May, two jets skirted on top of two turboprop planes of the Philippine Air Force, on top of the same sea, said Pama. He did not give more details. Last March, two Chinese patrol boats harassed a Philippine ship that has been exploring for oil in the Recto Bank, 125 miles west of Palawan, reports said.

A Chinese vessel reportedly fired at Filipino fishermen from the Jackson Atoll on February 25.

China has also built structures on a total of six shoals and atolls near the Philippines. These occurred after the Philippine government complained in 1995 that China had built structures on the Mischief Shoal.

All the incidents occurred between Palawan in southwestern Philippines and the Kalayaan-island Group (KIG) claimed by the Philippines on the disputed Spratly Archipelago since the early 70s.

The incidents were in a list of complaints filed by the Philippine government against China before the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, a source said.

Authorities have not yet released copies of the complaint that was filed by the Philippine government. Claiming that China has intensified tension in the contested area, Vietnam has also filed protests with the U.N.

China has denied all the claims made by Philippine and Vietnamese authorities.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the list of incidents were proofs of China's aggressive flexing of might at the contested region, long called a flashpoint that could deteriorate and destroy the economic gains of Asian countries.

China should observe the code of conduct of claimants on the contested areas it had signed with the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2002, said del Rosario.

If China refuses to do this, China will be criticized world-wide for intensifying tension in the contested region, said Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

China, Taiwan, and Vietnam claim the whole of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei claim some parts of the Spratly Archipelago.