Estrada brothers back Erap vs. China claims; PCG wary of ‘informers’
Two senators on Monday defended their father, former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada, from claims that he made a deal with the Chinese government to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal.
“During my phone conversation today with former Senator Orly Mercado, who held the position of Defense Secretary during my father’s tenure, he confirmed that there was ‘no agreement or promise’ whatsoever made to the Chinese government,” Senator Jinggoy Estrada said in a statement Monday.
In a previous interview with CNN Philippines, Chinese diplomatic sources claimed Manila promised Beijing that it would tow away the outpost.
“Any assertion of such a commitment contradicts the rationale behind the government’s decision at that time to station BRP Sierra Madre at the shoal. This move was primarily undertaken to assert our country’s claim and establish a presence in the area,” Estrada continued.
Beijing asked Manila to tow away the “illegally grounded” ship after the Chinese Coast Guard fired a water cannon at Filipino vessels on a resupply mission to the outpost last Aug. 5.
In response, President Marcos said that the ship would stay and that any supposed deal on its removal was rescinded.
Senator JV Ejercito, meanwhile, blasted Manila Times columnist Bobby Tiglao for claiming that President Estrada had, in fact, agreed to remove the BRP Sierra Madre.
But Ejercito pointed out that it was his father who had ordered the Sierra Madre be grounded on Ayungin Shoal to block Chinese forces from entering Philippine territory.
“That’s very inconsistent and common sense tells us it was President Joseph Estrada who ordered that BRP Sierra Madre be grounded in Ayungin shoal. So how come it will be him to say it should be removed.?” said Ejercito.
“I don’t know where the statement of Tiglao came from,” said the senator.
He said only his father “had the balls” to fight for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“He has the balls to claim our territory against the superpower,” he said.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. previously said he was rescinding any deal with China to move the rusted 80-year-old ship from the shoal, which is just 40 kilometers from Chinese-occupied Mischief Reef.
This developed as an informant could be giving the Chinese Coast Guard intel on the schedule of resupply missions to the Sierra Madre, a spokesman of the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea said Monday.
In the interview on TeleRadyo Serbisyo, Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela said the six Chinese Coast Guard vessels involved in the Aug. 5 water cannon incident against Filipino boats were not stationed at Ayungin Shoal but came from Mischief Reef, Pag-asa Island, Bajo de Masinloc, and Subi Reef.
The BRP Sierra Madre is a World War II-era ship that was deliberately grounded at Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to serve as a military outpost over the contested waters.
A day before the water cannon incident, the six Chinese vessels suddenly converged at the shoal to stop the Philippines’ resupply mission and then returned to their areas immediately after the incident.
“What we can see from here is that they were really prepared to block the resupply mission,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English. “Maybe they had intel on the ground. Maybe there was an informant that told them of the movement of our resupply operations.”
Tarriela also disputed claims by pro-China apologists that the Chinese were “humanitarians” who allowed one resupply boat to get through to the dilapidated BRP Sierra Madre last week, and that Filipino boats were not really affected by the water cannons.
“The video of us being bombed with water is said to have been edited because China released a video that did not hit the resupply ships. If you are Filipino, why would you believe the video released by China? That’s what you will spread to the people?” he said.
He also repeated his stand that Filipinos who are taking the side of China and spreading lies about the West Philippine Sea dispute are traitors.
Tarriela said he was surprised to find himself being bashed online for calling out China’s aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea and for calling pro-China apologists traitors.
He noted that pro-China apologists have always sided with the Chinese government and echoed Beijing’s explanations on the Chinese swarm in disputed reefs.