Philippine Warship BRP Ramon Alcaraz
Despite the Philippines' repeated protests and condemnation of China's incursions into the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), a fleet of Chinese surveillance ships has again sailed into the contested waters on "regular patrol missions," Chinese state media reported.
The Maritime Safety Administration of Hainan said the fleet composed of the Haixun 21, the Haixun 31 and the Haixun 166 left the province's Sanya port for patrols in the disputed waters, according to a report in China's state-run Xinhua news agency.
"The missions will strengthen china's maritime law enforcement capacity and test the patrol team's rapid response abilities in the disputed Sea," the report said.
The patrols "will monitor maritime traffic safety, investigate maritime accidents, detect pollution, and carry out search and rescue work," it added.
The patrol is China's second known ship deployment in the West Philippine Sea. It previously dispatched two ships from the city of Guangzhou in southern China.
China earlier announced fishery patrols in the West Philippine Sea, prompting "strong objection" from the Philippines.
The Department of Foreign Affairs did not immediately issue any statement on Saturday but it had many times in the past condemned similar Chinese patrols as violations of the Philippines' established maritime borders.
The Philippine government in January went to a United Nations (UN) arbitral panel to put a stop to China's incursions in the West Philippine Sea. The legal action also seeks to invalidate China's nine-dash line claim, which places almost all of the West Philippine Sea islands within Chinese territory.
China has refused to participate in the compulsory process, a decision that could boost the Philippines' case before the ad hoc tribunal, says a world expert on international law.
"If China does not participate, it will not be able to submit evidence and make legal arguments. So it's really strengthening the Philippines' chances at the tribunal," said Tom Ginsburg, a professor of international law at the University of Chicago.
He conceded, however, that while any UN tribunal decision on the case would be binding, China's compliance would be another matter.
2nd PHL Warship Again delayed for more sophisticated Trainings for Mk38 Mod 2
The arrival of the BRP Ramon Alcaraz, the second warship acquired by the Philippines from the United States, has been moved to August due to the need to conduct more training for its crew.
Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic said yesterday that the training of Filipino sailors and the refurbishment of the vessel are still ongoing.
"Their trainings are extensive, training in terms of equipment and shipboard evolution. The travel time takes about two months so it will arrive in August," Fabic said in Filipino.
BRP Ramon Alcaraz will have two Mk38 Mod 2 automatic cannon systems and will be among the first ships in the world to be equipped with state-of-the art cannon systems.
The Mk38 Mod 2 is designed to counter high-speed maneuvering surface targets which system would be installed also in almost all US surface ships by 2015.
Defense officials previously said the BRP Alcaraz would arrive in the country by January or February this year. The schedule was pushed back to April, with officials citing the same reason – the need for Navy personnel to undergo training.
Fabic noted that the use of the ship's equipment requires technical knowledge.
"The (pieces of) equipment are sophisticated like those used for navigation, fire control," he said.
RP Alcaraz was acquired from the US Coast Guard, after the acquisition of BRP Gregorio del Pilar in 2011, and was largely used for drug and migrant interdiction, law enforcement and search and rescue.
The acquisition of the naval assets was intended to enhance the military's maritime defense capability.
Security officials bared plans to fast-track the military's upgrade program amid efforts by China to shore up its presence in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Officials, however, maintain that the upgrade efforts are not directed against any country.
BRP Alcaraz can accommodate up to 180 officers and sailors. The vessel was named after Commodore Ramon Alcaraz, a Navy officer who commanded a patrol boat that shot three Japanese aircraft during World War II.
The government spent more than ₱600 million to acquire the ship.
The defense department plans to acquire two more warships within the first quarter.
Among the countries that are ready to provide defense assets are US, Italy, South Korea, Spain, Israel, Croatia and Australia.
