‘Balikatan’ warships stalked by China vessel

FIRST MISSION TOGETHER. The BRP Ramon Alcaraz and France’s FS Vendemiaire maneuver on April 28. PHOTO FROM LD-602

MANILA, Philippines — The multilateral Maritian exercises (MME) being conducted off Palawan as part of this year’s “Balikatan” (shoulder-to-shoulder) war games apparently continued to be tracked by another Chinese gray ship which was spotted on Sunday morning.

The presence of People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels near the exercise area has not bothered the Armed Forces of the Philippines, saying that movements of the Chinese ships in the area were likewise being monitored.

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 ‘Balikatan’ on; AFP sees China shadowing drills

2 Chinese ships spotted near Palawan ahead of Balikatan

AFP Western Command (Wescom) spokesperson Capt. Ariel Joseph Coloma told reporters that a Chinese vessel, with bow number 578, was sighted some seven to eight nautical miles of the Philippine, American and French naval ships participating in the MME off the northern part of Palawan.

Coloma pointed out that while he was not privy to the purpose of the presence of the Chinese ship, “We are monitoring them and we record then we report whatever our ships are monitoring in the area.”

He noted that the Chinese vessel with bow number 793, which was spotted on Saturday near the MME-participating vessels: patrol ship BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16); landing dock BRP Davao Del Sur (LD-602); the United States Navy’s landing ship dock USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49); and the French Navy’s frigate FS Vendémiaire (FFH-734), had already left the area.

Coloma assured that the four MME vessels continued its planned activities and the Wescom was not bothered by the presence of the Chinese ships.

READ MORE: ‘Made in China’ ship as mock target in Balikatan unintentional—PH Navy

Nothing untoward

“As long as we continue to monitor and report them, we are in control of the situation, and besides the exercises are still continuing,” he pointed out, adding that nothing untoward has been reported by the MME participants despite the presence of the Chinese vessels.

The MME, which concludes on April 29, has been “achieving training objectives on a daily basis,” Coloma stressed.

The MME, which started on April 25, is part of the 39th iteration of the Balikatan exercises and aims to enhance the interoperability of the participating navies.

Meanwhile, a leftist farmers group in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s home province of Ilocos Norte expressed opposition to the ongoing Balikatan, citing social and environmental costs.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) farmers’ group and its provincial chapter Alyansa Dagiti Mannalon ti Ilocos Norte reiterated their stance against Balikatan 24, which is the largest iteration yet of the joint military drills.

“Not all Filipinos are like the ‘Am-Boy’ [Marcos] who is bent on abiding by all the dictates and whims of the US government,” KMP said in a statement on Sunday.

Ilocos Norte is one of the key locations for this year’s Balikatan exercises, which have involved live-fire drills, maritime operations, air exercises and survival training across several provinces.