WPS civilian convoy reaches Panatag today

About 100 fishing boats sail toward Pan- atag Shoal during the second civilian-led resupply mission by the Atin Ito Coalition yesterday.MANILA, Philippines — The Atin Ito Coalition’s second civilian supply mission to the West Philippine Sea is expected to reach Panatag Shoal today, where the China Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels have reportedly set up a blockade to stop the convoy from reaching its main destination.

“Atin Ito is now in EEZ and has successfully deployed symbolic buoys/markers bearing the message: WPS, Atin Ito! Atin Ito’s main civilian boats are now distributing supplies … to Filipino fishers in our EEZ,” organizers led by the Akbayan Party announced yesterday. “It is running a very bad script. When a superpower deploys a fleet of military vessels to act as a goalkeeper in a shoal it has no authority over, against a group of wooden fishing boats manned by Filipino civilians, it is unmistakably exposed as an aggressor, usurper and illegal occupant,” Akbayan president and Atin Ito co-convenor Rafaela David said.

Organizers said the PCG’s BRP Bagacay is protecting the civilian boats and exchanged radio challenges with the Chinese vessel 50 nautical miles from Panatag Shoal. “The BRP Boracay is in Subic already, while the BRP Panglao is already on its way to the area. These are 24-meter patrol boats that are fast and with excellent maneuverability,” Balilo said.Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David yesterday asked the public to pray for the safety of those who joined the Atin Ito civilian mission.

“In the eyes of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea, this is a good sign. Because of our transparency initiative that started last year, activities like Atin Ito signify that there are members of civil society that support our position,” Tarriela said at a press conference. “I won’t also lie that even ordinary people in the pier, we can see this behavior of our Filipino fishermen. Compared with the crushed corals they are dumping in the entire South China Sea, compared to the harvesting of giant clams and the destruction of corals to create artificial islands, what’s a Filipino peeing compared to what they are doing?” he asserted.

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