By Priam Nepomuceno
MANILA – The Philippine Air Force (PAF) may deploy its fixed-wing assets to prevent a repeat of a recent China harassment in Bajo de Masinloc.
A Chinese naval helicopter conducted dangerous maneuvers against a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) aircraft conducting a maritime domain awareness flight in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) off Zambales province on Feb. 18.
“Whenever we are called upon to deploy our air assets to support other aircraft operating, be it civilian aircraft or another military aircraft, the Air Force is capable,” PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said Tuesday when asked on whether the service’s fixed wing FA-50PH light jet fighters and A-29B “Super Tucano” attack aircraft can be utilized to fly as escorts for civilian maritime patrol planes.
Castillo said it is the PAF’s mandate to support aircraft in distress, but deployment “depends on higher headquarters’ guidance.”
Earlier, the PAF spokesperson said maneuvers by the Chinese Harbin Z-9 helicopter against the BFAR 208B Grand Caravan EX aircraft “was unsafe and extremely dangerous.”
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the military never left the WPS.
“Basically, our AFP assets need not be in close-quarter proximity for us to deliver our weapon system and neutralize any possible targets or enemy. We need (not) be in the frame of any photo frames that we need to be there (at) a close proximity distance for us to respond. We can respond and we will respond accordingly,” he added.
No Chinese interference during French MCA
Meanwhile, Philippine Navy spokesperson for the WPS, Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, said there was no interference from Chinese maritime forces when during the maritime cooperative activity (MCA) with the French aircraft carrier strike group, composed by the FS Charles de Gaulle (CVN-91) and its escorts on Feb. 21 in waters under the Northern Luzon Command.
“During the conduct of the MCA with the French Navy and the Armed Forces, there were no People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), Coast Guard, or maritime militia noted within close proximity. They were at a distance of more than 120 nautical miles away,” he said.
Trinidad said the participation of foreign navies in Philippine exercises highlights the “strengthening of relationships between the country of that particular Navy.”
“Actions of the government to bring in other nations to observe and protect the rules-based international order are very much welcome, and we have noted a marked decrease in the illegal and coercive actions of the PLAN each time there is a multilateral or bilateral maritime cooperative activity. And expect that there will be more of these activities to come in the future,” he added. (PNA)
