A tense week at sea as Philippine coast guard faces China

More than just China’s expanding territorial ambitions awaited two Philippine coast guard vessels as they set out on a recent patrol of the tense South China Sea.

Two weeks ago, the Philippine coast guard asked the Associated Press and three other news agencies to accompany them on a 1,670 km (1,038 mi) patrol of one of the world’s most hotly contested oceans.

As part of a new strategy to draw attention to China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, the Philippines extended the invitation. China has significantly increased its military presence in the area, including the construction of artificial islands with airstrips and military garrisons, and the repulsion of rival claimants like the Philippines. It is speculated that massive oil and gas reserves lie beneath the wealthy fishing archipelago.

The Philippines sends out patrols on a regular basis to protect its territorial claims, detect incursions, and restock the Filipino sailors who are stationed there. Near Beijing’s artificial island bases, the Philippine coast guard says its patrol vessels frequently face David and Goliath confrontations, as they are arrayed against far larger and more powerful fleets of Chinese coast guard vessels, navy warships, and seaborne militias.
Japanese-made 44-meter (144-foot) patrol ships BRP Malabrigo and BRP Malapascua were to make a circle of disputed Philippine-claimed islands, islets, and reefs in the Spratly Islands, some of which are manned by Philippine garrisons and others by Chinese military installations.

The trip gave us a taste of what it’s like to be a Filipino coast guardsman fighting numerous geopolitical battles at once while also battling the elements and the stresses of being isolated from family and friends.

All of the sailors, whether grizzled veterans or fresh faces, came prepared with smartphones loaded with photos, videos, and games.

On patrol, you had to work hard but also had time to relax in a confined space. Most of the downtime between four-hour shifts was spent in cramped, air-conditioned cabins because the heat made sailors dizzy after just a few minutes outside. Few would assemble in the mess hall to watch a movie or use the karaoke machine, both of which are practically mandatory in the Philippines. Some passengers enjoyed strolling through the ship’s cramped corridors.

Each day, the two ships would make one or two stops, operating nonstop around the clock. Water, crude oil, and cigarettes were among the most urgently needed supplies, therefore ships made regular stops at areas captured by Filipino forces and sent motor launches to drop them off. Sailors in need of water bartered dried fish for a supply.

It was more difficult to travel to places under Chinese control. More than a hundred small Chinese boats, thought to belong to the militia, were anchored in groups at one reef and discovered by the patrol. Launches were dropped as Filipinos demanded the ships leave Philippine territory. No one from the Chinese boats responded or left.

Filipino sailors on a beached, decaying navy ship confronted the Chinese Coast Guard at Subi Reef, which is seized by the Chinese, and then at the Second Thomas Shoal.

These interactions are usually tense and last for a long time. The patrol was followed by Chinese coast guard and navy ships for nearly an hour during which time the Chinese accused the Filipinos of invading what Beijing claims to be its territorial seas and issued radio orders for them to withdraw or face unspecified counter actions.

A radio operator, standing at the far corner of the bridge with a paper script in his hand, demanded that the Chinese ships stay away and obey international anti-collision standards, citing Philippine sovereignty.

Meanwhile, everyone else on the bridge was silent and concentrated. The radar operator kept a sharp eye out for any subtle shifts in the other ship’s velocity or course. The commander shouted an order to change the Malabrigos’ pace when it came within one knot faster. The two of them talked for over an hour.

The 41-year-old Commander Julio Colarina III slept on a foldable bed on the Malabrigo’s bridge whenever he wasn’t on duty. He is a protector of Philippine territory for two generations running. Retired from the navy, his father defended Philippine territory on Thitu Island for a year in the 1970s.

Classic rock songs like “Hotel California” could be heard drifting from the galley as crew members dozed between four-hour stints on the bridge. A birthday dinner for a sailor consisted of sardines, fried fish, and rice, with a candle placed in the center of an omelet.

When asked what he wanted for his 27th birthday, the man replied, “peace and good health always.”

A Chinese coast guard ship stopped the Malapascua as it steamed approached the Second Thomas Shoal on April 23, the second-to-last day of the voyage, while the crew became silent. Captain Rodel Hernandez of the Malapascua reported that a collision could have occurred if he hadn’t suddenly changed course and cut power to the ship.

Journalists’ recordings of the violent altercation have reignited tensions between Manila and Beijing. The Philippines have accused China of engaging in “highly dangerous maneuvers” that put Philippine patrol ships and their crews in danger.

The Chinese government has stated that the Filipino vessels entered Chinese territorial waters while carrying journalists as part of a “premeditated provocation designed to deliberately create a friction” in an effort to shift blame away from Manila and onto Beijing.

Reggie Lobusta, a Petty Officer 2nd Class who has been sent to the contested zone on numerous previous occasions, likened his last deployment there to a never-ending boxing match.

If “these problems are not addressed properly,” Lobusta said, “there will be far worse than what we’ve encountered.”

These patrols are among the Philippine Coast Guard’s most dangerous and challenging missions. Colarina stated that the crew will get half of a month’s wage in hazard compensation and participate in a “stress debrief” with psychologists upon their return to land.

More crewmembers than usual milled and spoke on the deck of the Malabrigo as it went home after seven days, taking selfies with cellphone cameras as the sun sank in the backdrop.

Sunsets and sunrises, as well as dolphins and green turtles, are a source of inspiration for the crew, as Lobusta put it. Retirement means leaving this ship and my second family for the last time, and the thought of doing so fills me with dread.