Last May, a flotilla of over 100 Filipino civilian boats traveled to Philippine waters claimed by China. Organized by the Atin Ito collation, it was a dangerous expedition that sailed past China’s military ships. After delivering supplies to fishermen, placing “Atin Ito” markers, and returning to the Luzon mainland unscathed, the coalition declared the mission a victory. Emman Hizon, co-convenor of the Atin Ito coalition, describes to Howie Severino the risks and tensions on the high seas, and their meticulous preparation to avoid harassment by China’s maritime forces.
We want to normalize civilian missions to WPS — Emman Hizon of Atin Ito No one sees an end soon to the standoff in the West Philippine Sea. But organizers of the recent civilian missions to Philippine waters claimed by China want to see more of the same by people from various walks of life, helping unite Filipinos around a common assertion of sovereignty. In the battle of narratives, they say, that’s already a victory over China. Emman Hizon, co-convenor of the Atin Ito coalition, tells Howie Severino that the issue of the WPS has fueled the rise of a new Filipino nationalism. Where nationalists in a previous era were allied with China, younger generations are seeing China as an adversary and the US as less of a threat.
We want to normalize civilian missions to WPS — Emman Hizon of Atin Ito No one sees an end soon to the standoff in the West Philippine Sea. But organizers of the recent civilian missions to Philippine waters claimed by China want to see more of the same by people from various walks of life, helping unite Filipinos around a common assertion of sovereignty. In the battle of narratives, they say, that’s already a victory over China. Emman Hizon, co-convenor of the Atin Ito coalition, tells Howie Severino that the issue of the WPS has fueled the rise of a new Filipino nationalism. Where nationalists in a previous era were allied with China, younger generations are seeing China as an adversary and the US as less of a threat.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to our show, Eman, and magandang araw sayo.
00:07Magandang araw, podmates. Howie Severino muli, na nagpapaalala na nakakatalino ang mahabang attention span.
00:14Ang usapin natin ngayon ay ang West Philippine Sea na inaangkin ng China
00:19at ang civilian resupply mission ng atin ito coalition na katatapos lang noong nakaraang buwan.
00:26Hello, Eman, and magandang araw sayo.
00:29Magandang-magandang araw din, Sir Howie. Marami salamat at imbitahan niyo po ako sa inyong show.
00:35Mahigit two weeks nang nakaraan itong huling civilian mission sa West Philippine Sea.
00:41What was your precise role there?
00:43I am the communication director of atin ito.
00:46To be particular about it, I'm in charge of relating with media people.
00:52I'm in charge of writing the press releases, the statements,
00:55and of course drafting all of these communication plans for atin ito.
01:02In other words, you have the big picture in mind, at the same time tracking what's going on in the high seas.
01:09But you yourself, you were not on the boats this time, dun sa huling civilian mission?
01:15Lagi akong nasa command center. So I need to coordinate with a lot of people, government agencies, media.
01:24Okay, so anong main assessment ninyo?
01:27Tagumpay ba itong huling civilian mission sa West Philippine Sea o may pagkukulang o pagsisisi?
01:34Matagumpay. Matagumpay ang aming pangalawang civilian resupply mission to the West Philippine Sea,
01:42particular dito sa general vicinity of Panatagshon and sa ating exclusive economic zone off the coast of Masinlok, Zambales.
01:51Maliwanag yung tatlong main objectives ng supply mission na ito.
01:55Una, makapag-mobilize ng mahigit isang daan na maliliit na mga fishing boats
02:01at magkaroon ng isang solidarity and peace regatta or parada ng marami mga maliliit na bangka
02:09sa loob ng ating exclusive economic zone off the coast of Masinlok, Zambales.
02:14Malawang objective is to place symbolic markers or mga buwis carrying the message West Philippine Sea, atin ito,
02:21doon mismo within our exclusive economic zone.
02:25At pangatlo, ay mga pagsagawa ng supply na pagbibigay ng mga kinakailangan supply sa ating mga manginisda sa Panatagshon,
02:34particular na ang mga libu-libong litro ng crudo at mga food packs para sa beneficio ng ating mga maliliit na manginisda.
02:42Lahat ng mga objectives na ito ay ating nakamit. Bukod pa roon, tayo ay nakalapit mismo sa general vicinity of Panatagshon.
02:55We were as near as 25-30 nautical miles from Bajo de Masinlok.
03:01We had an advance party who left a day before the official launching of the second citizen-led supply mission
03:11and nakaabot po yun sa general vicinity of Panatagshon at nakapagbigay ng kinakailangan supply sa ating mga mangingisda
03:19na patuloy nagtatrabaho doon po sa nasabing lugar. So all in all, mission accomplished."
03:41... and Panatagshon. Just to clarify, baka malito ang ibang listeners natin, baka hindi kabisado lahat ng mga bansag sa area na yan.
03:50But hindi kayo nakaabot sa Bajo de Masinlok. So bakit hindi kayo nakaabot? Wouldn't that have been one of your goals to actually reach it?
04:01From the start when we announced to the media that we will be having this second civilian-led resupply mission,
04:08pinaliwarag talaga namin ng maigi yung aming mga main layunin. So na-mention ko na before yung tatlo.
04:16At sinabi rin namin na susubukan natin as much as possible na makalapit sa general vicinity of Panatagshon, Scarborough or Bajo de Masinlok,
04:27batay na rin sa ating safety and security protocols. Ina-manage naman natin ang expectation ng mamamayan,
04:33kasama na doon ng media at ating mga volunteers. Naging matagumpay naman po tayo dahil nakalapit po tayo,
04:40na-penetrate kaya po ng advance party natin yung massive blocking force ng China na kanilang sinet-up doon comprised of more than 20 Chinese Coast Guard vessels
04:52and 40 Chinese maritime vessels na nagpasan po yung ating advance supply team.
05:00So all in all, it was a clear victory for the mission and a clear victory for the Filipino people
05:06who are continuing asserting our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.
05:10Okay, there was a blockade by all of these Chinese ships. Some of them were also civilian,
05:17some of them were connected to the Chinese government and military.
05:21What was the actual risk to the flotilla, to the Filipino civilian boats and fishermen?
05:30Masusi yung ating pangalawang civilian-led supply mission. Yung una kasi last year when we had our first,
05:41it was very historic. Ang layunin noon ay makapunta sa general vicinity of Ayungin Shoal
05:47at makapagdala ng supply sa ating mga frontliners na nakastasyon doon.
05:51Marami kami natutunan doon in terms of risk assessment, management, pagpaplano,
05:57at yun ang bit-bit namin dito sa pangalawang civilian supply mission.
06:01So sa pangalawang supply mission na ito, talagang pinlancha natin ang lahat na pwedeng mangyaring mga scenarios
06:07from the security and safety aspects, the risk involved. So lahat yun at play.
06:15Of course, nandoon din yung scenario na pwedeng ma-water cannon yung ating mga fishing boats
06:21na wala talaga sa scenario natin magpa-water cannon kasi bukod sa lulubog agat yung mga barkong yun,
06:27yung mga sasakyan namin, pangalawa yun ay source of livelihood ng ating mga kababayang mga hingisda.
06:33So out of the question talagang magpa-water cannon.
06:36Kasama rin sa scenario na yun ay isyasyado kami ng iba't-ibang mga sasakyang pandagat ng China,
06:42hindi lang isyasyado, lalapitan, may mga dangerous maneuvering.
06:46So we had all precautions and actions planned for all of those scenarios.
06:54Of course, we also coordinated with the government at the very least para sabihin namin,
07:00while it is an independent action of concerned citizens,
07:04we are responsible enough to say na kailangan namin i-coordinate it at the very least
07:09with the Coast Guard, with Marina and other related agencies.
07:12Clarify ko lang, sino-sino ba yung kasama dito sa mission na ito?
07:17It's being called a civilian mission pero wala kayong kasamang security, bantay?
07:23Halo-halo po, mga ordinary mga mamamayan po. May mga kaparean po tayo.
07:29May mga pare na minobilize po si Father Robert Reyes.
07:32Marami po mga kabatangan estudyante sa iba't-ibang mga paaralan at universidad.
07:36Meron din po mga NGO workers, mga leaders ng mga sectoral organizations,
07:42mga representatives of different fisher folk national organizations.
07:46Of course, ang pinaka marami po rin ito yung mga malilit na mga hingisda po mula sa subik, sa bataan at sa masinlo.
07:52So, mga ordinary mamamayan po from different walks of life.
07:57Of course, marami din media. May taga-GMA din nandun, si Joseph Morong and his team.
08:03So, of course, importanteng elemento yun na may coverage ito.
08:09So, how big an aspect of the mission was that, that you had to broadcast this all over the world?
08:18Gano ka laking bahagi yun ng inyong mission?
08:21Malaking bahagi po talaga ang papel po rito ng ating kapatid at mga kaibigan ng mga journalists,
08:30both sa ating bansa at sa international.
08:33Kasi gusto natin ipamuka, ipakita sa buong mundo,
08:36di lamang antapang ang pagitingan ng malilit ng mamamayan Pilipino sa harap ng agresyon
08:42at patuloy na acts of harassment and violence in China,
08:45gusto rin natin patuloy na ilahad na expose yung ginagawa ng bansang China,
08:50kanilang illegal presence, kanilang illegal activities dito sa West Philippine Sea.
08:55Kasi madaling sabihin ng China na siyempre yan ang kwento ninyo
08:59kasi claimant kayo sa sinasabing disputed na area na yan.
09:03So what we tried is to bring in media people from the Philippines and abroad.
09:08And also the beauty about the second mission is that we had international observers.
09:13So hindi lamang mga Pilipino ang nakakita personal witness dito sa agresyon ng bansang China sa ating mismo territoryo.
09:23So when we were like 50 nautical miles away from Panatagshol
09:28at naglabasa na yung dambuha ng Chinese coastguard vessels,
09:32meron pa ng Chinese naval ship, nagulat yung mga international observers.
09:38Sabi nga nila hindi na ito shadowing.
09:40When you say shadowing, nasa horizon ka lang.
09:44Pero they were as close as 80 to 100 meters from our convoy.
09:50Napaka-delikado po noon kasi kapag nagmaneuver sila in a way na kakaiba,
09:56yung wave na maki-create nila, pwede mag-tackle ng ating mga fishing boats.
10:03So nakita nila personally na patuloy ang agresyon noon
10:08at intimidation at bullying ng China sa West Philippines.
10:12So ano yung contingency nyo?
10:14Kasi siyempre sabi nyo ayaw nyo magpa-water cannon,
10:17but of course that's not totally within your control.
10:21There are two parties involved here.
10:23So kahit ayaw nyo magpa-water cannon,
10:26ano yung contingency nyo just in case na may ganung pangyari?
10:30Yes. Kaya noong bit-bit namin yung maraming mga lessons,
10:34yung experience namin in our first historical civilian supply mission last year sa Ayungin Shoal,
10:40napag-isipan namin na dapat yung mga objectives natin for this second mission ay klaro,
10:49mas klaro, mas sakatuparan natin, mas kaya abutin.
10:55So kahit anong mangyari dito sa ating overall itinerary,
10:58ma-cut short, ma-interrupt or may mga acts of harassment and intimidation,
11:04ang makasakatuparan pa rin natin yung ating mission.
11:06At nagawa po namin lahat yung objectives na yun. That's one.
11:09Second, doon po sa safety and security precautions, maraming mga scenarios at play.
11:15Kung basic shadowing lang, basic na nilalapitan lang po kami,
11:21magtutuloy-tuloy lang ang pagbabiyahi ng civilian mission.
11:25Kapag mayroon mga dangerous maneuverings, our boat captains and the crew,
11:29in the entire crew ay minaman po ng mga mangingisda ng masindok at subik,
11:34ay mag-implement lang po ng evading maneuvers.
11:38Hindi po tayo makipag-confrontasyon, hindi po tayo lalapit.
11:41Mag-evade po tayo to maintain our safety and security parameters.
11:47Of course, nandoon din po, tapasalamat din po tayo sa presensya ng Philippine Coast Guard.
11:52Nandoon sila to monitor the civilian activity and we have coordinated with them
11:59that if there are any untoward incidents, they are ready to assist us in any way possible.
12:05So lahat po yun ay kinonsider po natin sa ating second civilian-led supply mission.
12:13Of course, may posibilidad nga na magkaroon nga ng insidente.
12:19I'm sure you've heard the criticism na provocative yung inyong ginawa.
12:26You were really tempting China to do something.
12:31They have had a tendency to respond in certain ways.
12:36At the same time, you've also probably heard that parang pinapain yung mga mang-ngisda natin.
12:44Very vulnerable sector, subsistence fishermen.
12:48Sabi mo nga yung mga barkong ginamit sa kabuhayan nila yan.
12:55So kung may mawasak diyan o may ma-injure sa kanila, siyempre apektado yung buong community, mga pamilya nila.
13:03How did that play into your calculations? How do you respond to those criticisms?
13:07Well, the mere fact that we were able to execute this second civilian-led supply mission
13:14na lahat ng mga volunteers together with the media and the crew ay nasa katuparan ito na lahat nakabalik ng safe
13:22is a testament to how we planned this meticulously.
13:30Top priority po talaga namin ang safety and security ng ating lahat ng mga volunteers
13:35and all those who participated in the civilian supply mission.
13:37Sinasabi nga namin sa umpisa pa lamang, bagamat maliwanag ang ating mga objectives for this mission,
13:44ang laging inaalala po namin.
13:47Hindi po namin isasangalang yung kaligtasan at kapakanan po ng ating mga kalahok dito sa ating civilian mission.
13:56So if ever may nakita po talaga kaming mataas na risk while we are doing the mission
14:05sa safety and security ng aming mga tao, nandoon po yung possibility na bumalik,
14:12do other things na talagang para hindi maisangalang-alang yung kaligtasan ng mga tao.
14:19Pangalawa, doon po sa mga nagsasabi na what we did was a provocation to China,
14:25what we did was parang ginagawa namin cannon fodders yung mga ingisda, parang napaka-unfair naman po noon.
14:34Lagi nga po sinasabi bakit sinisisi yung mga maliliit na mga mga mga ingisda,
14:38sa kauna-una ang pagkakataon, natagpuan nila muli ang kanilang pagkakaisa,
14:44natagpuan nila ang kanilang tapang, kanilang giting para lumabas.
14:47This is the biggest so far showing of small Filipino fishers na lumabas sila
14:55para assert hindi lang mga sovereign rights natin sa West Philippine Sea,
14:59but also the right to fish, the right to livelihood.
15:02So bakit po parang sila pang sinisisi na parang natagpuan nila ang kanilang pagkakaisa,
15:08na kailangan nilang ipaglaban ang kanilang kabuhayan, ay sila pa ang binabalingan ng sisi.
15:16Hindi po ba ang totoong problema rito yung continuing illegal presence and unlawful activities ng China sa West Philippine Sea?
15:25Marami po akong nagrininig ngayon pero majority of those things are coming from,
15:31one from China itself and the second one is very unfortunate,
15:38narininig natin ito sa ilang mga kababayan natin,
15:40lalo na sa nakaraang administration na sinasabi na we are provoking China.
15:47Pero sa totoo, ang nagpoprovoke po ang mismong China po.
15:50Pumunta po tayo dun para magbigay ng krudo at mga pagkain sa ating malilit na manisda.
15:56At the same time, sinalubong po sa atin ay isang massive blocking force,
15:59isang armada po ng halong-halong Coast Guard vessels, Navy and even Maritime Malaysia.
16:06So doon pa lamang po sa larawan nyo, may kita po namin talaga sino nagpoprovoke
16:12at sino po talaga ang nag-undermine ng maritime safety sa lugar nyo.
16:18Okay. Eman, tama ka, wala ngang nasaktan, kaya in a way your plans work.
16:27But on the other hand, some could say you're just lucky na ganun yung naging response
16:34because nabreach nyo nga yung blockade ng China and because of that,
16:42the coalition is claiming a kind of victory. Sabi mo matagumpay, it was mission accomplished daw.
16:51Sabi ng mga ibang kasama mo. So what that could have done was humiliate China.
17:00I mean they're very proud obviously and they're claiming this territory.
17:05So maybe the next time you won't be so lucky.
17:08But I just want to ask, why do you think they allowed the blockade to be breached?
17:15Kasi wala naman kayong armas. So this is not a military confrontation na you broke through.
17:23Kasi usually the breaching a blockade, that's a wartime word.
17:29But in this case, this is a civilian mission, you breached a blockade of Chinese ships,
17:35some of which were probably armed, maybe heavily armed.
17:38So they had to in a way allow you to breach their blockade.
17:44So what was the consideration there when in the past,
17:48nagwa water cannon nga sila, nanghaharang sila,
17:51mas malapitan pa nga yung pagmamaneuver ng mga barko nila.
17:55Could it have been because it was a high-profile mission, marami kayong media,
18:00may international media pa nga kayong kasama?
18:02Or did you sense na nagsa-soften na yung kanilang position?
18:07They're going to allow more such missions from now on?
18:11Mas nagiging, mas mabait sila ngayon?
18:14Ano bang sense nyo from observing the other side?
18:18Well, drawing lessons from our first civilian supply mission sa Iung Insol,
18:23napagtanto namin na itong second supply mission,
18:28hindi pa pwedeng katulad lang nung una.
18:30We are 100 percent sure na pag ginawa natin itong pangalawang supply mission na ito,
18:37kaharangin tayo ng China.
18:38So paano pag nangyari yun?
18:40Uuwi na ulit ba tayo?
18:41Katulad nung nangyari nung una.
18:43Nung una kasi, the captain of our ship, yung Kapitan Felix Oco,
18:49that big commercial vessel na nulan yung ating mga volunteers,
18:54unilaterally decided on his own na kailangan na bumalik.
18:57And we respect that decision kasi siya ang master of the ship.
19:00Fortunately, one of our small supply boats last year was able to slip past
19:07the harassment of China in that area and was able to deliver the supplies
19:14and donations sa isang malapit na island, yung lawak island.
19:19Malapit po yun sa Iung Insol.
19:22So in a way, it was a victory for us.
19:24So bringing that lesson and that experience sa second supply mission,
19:29sinabi namin na hindi po pwedeng maulit kaharangin tayo, tapos paano na?
19:34So how do we meet our objective?
19:37So we planned an advance team to go one day before the official send-off
19:47for the civilian-led mission.
19:50So katingin namin, nakalusot yun dahil China's attention was focused
19:54primarily dito sa 100 fishing boats plus the five big pangulong ships.
20:01Nandun yung concentration ng yung massive blocking force nila.
20:06Yung advance team namin is composed of just one ship.
20:11Tapos meron lang lula na sampung volunteers and I think five or six crew members.
20:18Madas madaling nakalusot ati hindi napansin ng China.
20:23And when they were able to reach the general vicinity of Panatagsyon,
20:29do na lamang medyo naalerto yung China.
20:32In fact, pinadalahan sila do ng isang Chinese naval ship with body number 175.
20:38Nilapitan sila parang ganun din, 100 meters, habang namimigay sila ng krudo
20:42at pagkain sa ating mga mahingis nang nandoon malapit sa Panatagsyon.
20:46So yun yung binitbit po nating mga aral at mga experience na yun
20:51para may sakatoparan po natin itong mission na ito.
20:55Of course, you're prepared for the worst case scenario where
21:00ang China may gagawin talaga na mas aggressive kaysa sa lumapit lang sa mga mahingis.
21:10Pwede kayong i-water cannon, et cetera.
21:14So in that scenario, our Coast Guard, the Philippine Coast Guard,
21:20committed to defending the flotilla.
21:23Sabi mo nga, they were ready to assist.
21:25Yun ang word mo, assist.
21:27You didn't use the word defend.
21:29But what kind of assistance in particular were they willing to give?
21:35So nandoon lang sila, nandoon din yung Chinese boats,
21:38nandoon kayo sa pagitan itong dalawang pwersa.
21:40Walk us through that scenario.
21:43I'm sure that you had planned for that as well.
21:46Nako, Sir Howie, napaka-challenging po talaga i-planon itong civilian supply mission na ito.
21:52Kasi hindi lamang ito simple parang nag-organize ka ng motorcade sa kalsada.
21:56There are real safety and security issues at hand here.
22:01So abagamat ito ay isang 100% civilian-led supply mission,
22:06but it was necessary for us to have a minimum level of coordination with different government agencies,
22:13particular na yung National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea, at syempre yung Philippine Coast Guard.
22:18So when we had a meeting with the Philippine Coast Guard,
22:20nag-run kami ng maraming mga scenarios.
22:24Kasama po doon yung scenario of the possibility of being water cannoned by Chinese vessels.
22:34They said that they will assist us in any way possible.
22:37They even said that they will be with us all throughout the journey.
22:45Ang sinasabi nila nila kung ano decision nyo at magpapalitan tayo ng risk assessments,
22:52we will come up with a decision on it.
22:57Pangalawa, masaya kami habang bumabiyahi kami,
23:00ang Philippine Coast Guard ay nagbigay ng public announcement that they are deploying two more Coast Guard vessels in the area.
23:10Ang sumama po doon sa convoy at nag-monitor ay isang 44-meter na vessel.
23:15I think it was BRP Cabra.
23:18Tapos pinasunod sila si BRP Boracay at si Panglao.
23:24Although hindi namin masyado nakita yung dalawa, baka nasa vicinity.
23:27We are also grateful that the Philippine Navy said that there is a Philippine Navy ship in the vicinity of the area also monitoring.
23:35So yun po ay all factors na kinakonsiderin natin sa mission na ito.
23:44Napaka-challenging po talaga.
23:47Hindi po po pwede na pupunta lang po tayo roon na wala man lang minimum coordination with the concerned agencies.
23:55For example, marina.
23:56Kailangan din namin makipag-coordinate sa marina kasi we need to secure permits for our pangulongs,
24:02yung mas malalaki pong mga fishing boats na yun na can accommodate 50 to 100 people.
24:07Kasi they are not registered to carry passengers.
24:12So we had to secure special permits for that.
24:15Marina, the coast guards, they all have to inspect our boats kahit yung maliliit para to say that they are all seaworthy.
24:23Lahat po yun, lahat po ng due diligence na yun ay dinaanan po natin to ensure the safety and security of our volunteers.
24:31Okay, just the way you described it, parang baka mapaisip kayong ibang tao na is this really a purely civilian mission?
24:41Kasi may kasama kayong coast guard.
24:44It's not being called a coast guard mission, but they were there just in case.
24:49So maybe it's more of a quasi-civilian?
24:53Because it also had the full cooperation of the government, apparently.
24:58So you weren't exactly defenseless? May may backup kayo na may armas?
25:05Well, magpapasalamat kami sa assistance ng ating gobyerno, lalo lalo na ng Philippine Coast Guard sa ating civilian supply mission.
25:14At lagi naman sinasabi ng Philippine Coast Guard na tungkulin naman talaga nila na pangalagaan ng maritime safety sa lugar na yun,
25:22lalo lalo na ang maligtasan ng mga maumayan.
25:25Pero this is a 100 percent civilian-led supply mission.
25:29In fact, when we had this first mission last year, medyo nagkaroon pa kami ng world war,
25:34ng National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea, particularly the National Security Council.
25:39Kasi sabi ng National Security Council, hindi kayo pwede pumunta dyan dahil delikado, bawal.
25:45We asserted ourselves as Filipino citizens.
25:49Sabi natin, eh teretoryo natin yan. Kung teretoryo natin, it shouldn't be even controversial in the first place.
25:55It shouldn't be even big news in the first place. Kasi it's no different from going to Boracay to Bohon.
26:01And then medyo we started on the wrong foot.
26:08And then nagkaroon kami ng pagkakatod para magkausap-usap.
26:15And then magkaliwanagan kami ng aming mga objectives.
26:18They said that at the very least they will be monitoring the mission.
26:23At best they will assist us if there are any untoward incidents.
26:27So they withdrew their objections and they agreed with the mission?
26:32The National Security Council, I mean.
26:35Yes, I think we were able to persuade them.
26:38Kasama ko po doon si Father Ed de la Torre, President ng Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement.
26:44Also Rafaela David, President ng Atbayan.
26:47So it was a long meeting.
26:50It was the first time ati nito and the government meet each other face-to-face and we had a long deliberation about it.
26:58They were asking us to go to different places instead.
27:01But we are asserting no, we would like to go to the general vicinity of Ayung and Siog.
27:05Because during that time, the main symbol of resistance of those people is BRP Sierra Madre.
27:13Even if our ship is moving, it shows the strength and resilience of those people to fight against us.
27:22So we were able to convince them and our mission was given and there was minimum coordination with them.
27:32So we are beating that lesson and we are beating that new relationship with different agencies.
27:40That's the beauty of ati nito.
27:42Father Ed de la Torre would always say that activists are used to complain and protest against the government.
27:51But this time around, all of us will be together.
27:55Our narrative is one, our story is one.
27:58All of us will be together in one boat to fight the West Philippine Sea.
28:03So going to the second mission, our relationship became warmer.
28:08We were able to coordinate more easily.
28:10We also learned a lot in terms of how to navigate the ocean, nautical miles and how to read the map.
28:19So it was a profound learning experience for all of us.
28:24Who is funding these missions?
28:27This mission is very inspiring because only ordinary people are helping us.
28:35From foodpacks, middle class families, rotary clubs, students.
28:47Our students, they're going around the different schools and universities to create the West Philippine Sea forums.
28:56After that, they send donations from the students.
29:02So from different people.
29:04In fact, our boats are from small families.
29:09Okay, part of China's narrative is all of these kinds of activities are instigated by the United States.
29:18And it's part of a big U.S. conspiracy against China.
29:25Of course, they're locked in this superpower contest around the world, especially in our part of the world.
29:32So do you have connections in America?
29:35Did the U.S. offer their support?
29:37Did they communicate with you?
29:39Did they cheer you on?
29:41I know the U.S. military was monitoring and they were providing information about the presence of Chinese ships in the vicinity of the mission, etc.
29:52But what is your message to the U.S. if there is one?
29:56We're just kidding.
29:58I hope the U.S. government will give us funds.
30:02If there is one, I hope we can use it for sea vehicles.
30:07We have more funds to buy communication equipment.
30:11We have more resources for our volunteers.
30:15But that's just a joke.
30:18In fact, we don't have any association or relationship with the U.S. government.
30:23Of course, the U.S. is monitoring the entire situation together with a lot of allied countries, even Australia.
30:30As far as I know, there are a lot, even Japan.
30:33The attention of the whole world from May 14 to 17 was focused on the general vicinity of the mission.
30:41Okay. You got their attention, but did you get their support?
30:44How is the international response here?
30:48You had international media presence.
30:51A lot of different governments are monitoring.
30:54Were they cheering you on?
30:56Were they hoping it would be a success or was it too political for them?
31:01I think the mere fact that they are observing, the mere fact that they are very interested to see how this plays out,
31:10is already a victory for us.
31:12Before all of these things, the harassment, the acts of violence against our frontliners,
31:18against our fisherfolk, are coming to us three days after, one week after.
31:24Now, in real time, live, on social media, television, and radio, our citizens can see how China is bullying us in the West Philippine Sea.
31:38I think that is a clear victory for us.
31:41Even last year, we were able to secure the first...
31:47I think historic live media coverage of a supply mission.
31:54Before the embargo, it will take several days before media can report on the supply missions.
32:00But when we had our first and historic civilian-led supply mission, in real time, the media was able to report.
32:09Second, it was the first time that foreign journalists were allowed in a supply mission.
32:15Before, it was not allowed, only Filipino journalists.
32:18Now, in our second mission, more foreign journalists joined.
32:24So, in the principles of transparency, in the principles of free media reporting,
32:31this is a great victory for our supply missions.
32:35Okay. This tension has been going on for several years between China and the Philippines, in that area, the West Philippine Sea.
32:44But now, this kind of civilian mission is happening.
32:49As you said, it was the first time that international media was allowed.
32:55So, this reflects a change also in attitude or policy of our government.
33:03Do you think, how did the attitude or projection of the Philippines change in this issue?
33:12Well, there's a remarkably shift in terms of policy, in terms of perspective from the national government.
33:20From the previous government, it was one-sided.
33:23In fact, we don't even hear news of what's happening in the West Philippine Sea.
33:28Even if we hear news, it's already late.
33:31If we hear that there's an incident of harassment in Ayungin-Shol, Manan or Panatag-Shol,
33:39our government will remain silent.
33:42To be fair to this current government, they are very transparent on what's happening there.
33:48There's a remarkably shift in terms of foreign policy in relating with China and the West Philippine Sea.
33:55The assertion of our victory in arbitral ruling is more marked.
34:02The defense of our sovereign rights and territorial integrity in our territory is clearer.
34:10So far, we are happy on how the government is doing its policy on the West Philippine Sea
34:19with regards to the defense of our frontliners and the future.
34:24Of course, there are more things we can do.
34:26There are more things we can do.
34:28For example, because of the threat of illegal arrest of the Chinese nationals,
34:35what they call so-called trespassers in the West Philippine Sea,
34:39we are calling on the national government, Philippine Coast Guard and BIFAR,
34:43to have more regular patrols and patrols in the vicinity.
34:50This will increase the confidence of our fishermen in those areas.
34:57Okay. Many have watched and accompanied your mission.
35:02Maybe many Filipinos have an idea to go there.
35:07In fact, I've heard it myself among people I know that I want to go there.
35:12Is that something you would encourage?
35:16Maybe your next missions won't be organized.
35:20You won't be able to coordinate with the Coast Guard, the National Security Council,
35:24and all of that.
35:25It's just your own discretion.
35:27And because you saw your example, you're claiming victory.
35:33No one was hurt.
35:34It looks like no one was damaged using fishing nets, etc.
35:40So it would look like a victory all around.
35:44Maybe many will be encouraged.
35:45In fact, people are actually thinking about it already.
35:48Is this something that you would want to happen,
35:50that many will go there to assert Philippine sovereignty,
35:56a civilian mission like what you did?
35:59In fact, that's one of the main reasons why we created this.
36:03To show that ordinary citizens have a role to fight for our interests
36:10and rights in the West Philippine Sea.
36:12This is not only the work of the Philippine Coast Guard,
36:15the military, or the government.
36:18But this is also the work of ordinary citizens.
36:22We can do many small things.
36:25That's one.
36:26Second, we want to normalize and regularize the civilian access to the West Philippine Sea.
36:31Our fishermen should have regular, consistent, and predictable access.
36:36And of course, ordinary citizens.
36:38We're joking about this.
36:40If the former president didn't make jet skis in the West Philippine Sea,
36:45we can do it within the safe vicinity of our exclusive economic zone.
36:50We can also have water games there.
36:52There's a saying, we can have solidarity tourism.
36:56Let's go to Pag-asa Island.
36:59So it's not necessarily confrontation, not necessarily always militant.
37:05But there are a lot of possibilities to express solidarity with our fisherfolk and our frontliners
37:12at the same time, peacefully but firmly asserting our rights in the West Philippine Sea.
37:18I know that there's a small group of fishermen that went abroad again.
37:22I think they were greatly inspired by our second supply mission.
37:27I think they are within the vicinity of our territorial waters having a fishing expedition.
37:33So that's what we want to do.
37:35But of course, we always remind them,
37:38safety and security must always be the priorities of all of these civilian initiatives.
37:47Well that's it.
37:48There might be copycats who will copy you and go there.
37:52But the outcome won't be good.
37:55Someone might get hurt because in a way,
37:58China might feel that they are being humiliated.
38:02They are being humiliated by civilians, fishermen,
38:05who have breached their blockade of modern ships.
38:11Next, the outcome might not be good.
38:16It won't be peaceful.
38:17If that happens, if someone gets hurt in the near future because they copy you,
38:21following your example, would you feel responsible somehow for that?
38:27Or a bad outcome for future missions?
38:32First of all, to those who are inspired to do similar activities in our beloved West Philippine Sea,
38:39we always remind you that when you plan,
38:42safety and security of your fellowmen in these activities must always be the priority.
38:49That's one.
38:50Second, if an untoward incident happens to our fellowmen who go there or to our fishermen,
39:01who are just simple fishermen in the area,
39:04they should blame China.
39:06First of all, they should not be there.
39:09The mere fact that they are there, why are they there in the first place?
39:13Second, they are not just trespassers, they are also harassers.
39:18They are also acts of violence against our fishermen.
39:21So the attention should be there.
39:25The weight of responsibility should be on the illegal presence and unlawful actions in our territory.
39:34How do you see the situation there unfolding?
39:39Because you're claiming victory now.
39:41That's for this particular mission.
39:44But what does victory mean in the West Philippine Sea?
39:47Will China really leave?
39:50Is that really realistic?
39:52I'm sure nobody in his right mind is foreseeing a successful military confrontation
40:02between the Philippines and China unless the U.S. is involved.
40:05That's what many are afraid of.
40:07So I'm sure no one is planning to confront China intentionally.
40:14But how do you foresee the long game here?
40:18When can you say that the Philippines is really victorious in this dispute?
40:28This battle in the West Philippine Sea has been going on for a long time.
40:33For us, what we see, our theory of victory now is when we mobilize a large number of citizens into one national narrative.
40:45Whatever our differences, even if we debate, even if we lose in various issues,
40:51but when it comes to the West Philippine Sea, we have only one story, only one narrative, only one understanding.
40:58This is ours and we are fighting it in a peaceful and unified way.
41:05That's our theory of victory at the moment, when all the citizens are united.
41:10We are not blaming each other.
41:13Why did you fight? Why did you go there?
41:16If you didn't go there, China would not have gotten angry.
41:20But fishermen cannot rely on the mercy of a trespasser who should not be there.
41:31We should be united. We should celebrate the unity of the fishermen.
41:38We should celebrate their bravery and their courage.
41:41We should have a narrative in the West Philippine Sea.
41:47We should be united, we should be united even if we have different colors, different beliefs.
41:53But when it comes to the West Philippine Sea, there is no doubt that we should be united to fight this.
41:59Okay, that unity, you said that this battle is still long, this issue.
42:07This is included in the divided society, in a way.
42:13You mentioned the government's last government, which is very pro-China.
42:19And then until now, their allies are still very vocal and active.
42:26There are also many influencers who have that view.
42:32But do you think, from your point of view, that the public opinion is shifting?
42:37Because after all, the previous administration that was pro-China was very popular.
42:42And many subscribe to that narrative that the more independent foreign policy of the Philippines
42:50is the result of anti-America and pro-China.
42:57We are pivoting towards the superpower in our neighborhood,
43:02rather than away from the superpower that's across an ocean.
43:07So it would seem to be a pragmatic approach.
43:10But now, you said that there is a change in the field of administration.
43:19What is your sense?
43:21Is this leading to a shift in the national narrative, the public opinion of our society?
43:31I think there's a dramatic shift in the public consciousness concerning the West Philippine Sea.
43:37In our first mission last year in December, we were a disrupter.
43:46We disrupted the old narrative that we can't do anything there.
43:50They are already there. They have control over it.
43:53And we were able to demonstrate that we can do something about it.
43:57And we were able to reach out to a lot of hearts and minds in our first mission.
44:02This second mission is more overwhelming.
44:05More people believe that it's not only their place, but they can do something about it.
44:14So the mere picture, image of small fishermen peacefully asserting themselves the right to fish,
44:25the right to livelihood.
44:27Our assessment is that a lot of people were affected.
44:32And from a communication point of view, I think why we were very successful in our second mission is that
44:41we have a very simple but powerful narrative.
44:44And that narrative is, no matter who you are, no matter what your beliefs are,
44:48even if we agree on other issues, when it comes to the West Philippine Sea,
44:51there should be no debate.
44:54It's ours. This place is ours.
44:56Unlike the narrative of the defenders of the previous administrations that said this is a conspiracy with the U.S.,
45:05they are funded by the Philippine and the U.S. government.
45:08It's a very complex narrative. It's hard to explain.
45:13Whereas we were just there, we were together.
45:16There are fishermen, there are youths, there are fishermen.
45:19Their only goal is to go there for a peaceful activity,
45:23to lay eggs, to give crudes, to give food.
45:28I think it resonated with a lot of people.
45:30Okay. Because we're up against China, which has a history of thousands of years.
45:37Our recorded history is only hundreds of years.
45:40So we're a relatively recent nation compared to China.
45:44So they're willing to sit on this for generations.
45:47It's a long game that they're used to here.
45:51But how do you see this unfolding?
45:55First, we would like to introduce a new normal.
45:58And that new normal is we want regular civilian access to the West Philippine Sea.
46:05The old normal is that there will only be sea vehicles from China.
46:11Coast Guard vessels, Navy.
46:14We would like to introduce a new normal where there will be a large presence of ordinary Filipinos.
46:21They are fishermen, they are civilian volunteers doing supply missions or whatever.
46:27We are doing it peacefully and within our right to movement within our own territories.
46:33That's one.
46:36We're doing it, hopefully, to add pressure in mobilizing a strong international public opinion.
46:44There are plans now and there are talks that we need to file a new arbitration case against China.
46:50But this time around, we're not alone.
46:53We have other countries like Vietnam, Indonesia,
46:57that are experiencing acts of violence and harassment against China.
47:01So there are such scenarios.
47:07Second, I think we're hearing that Vietnam, Taiwan, they're also planning civilian supply missions.
47:14That's a good opportunity for active citizenship.
47:19Third, while we are consistently asserting our sovereign rights,
47:25our territorial integrity in the West Philippine Sea,
47:28we should not be afraid of other fishermen of other races.
47:33In fact, the arbitration ruling said that Panatagshol is a traditional fishing ground,
47:40not only for Filipinos, but also for China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
47:46In fact, we are free and we can fish there at the same time.
47:52But even though it's a well-known fishing ground for different races,
47:56it needs to be clarified that it is an integral part of the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
48:02We are not using drugs.
48:04It's not like what China is doing now.
48:06They are blocking the port of Panatagshol and making it difficult for our fishermen to do their job.
48:15In fact, when there are storms, they cannot enter inside Panatagshol.
48:19That's why it's called Panatagshol.
48:21It's because that's where our sea vehicles are placed to protect them from the storms.
48:29So that's what we want to happen.
48:33We would like to mobilize strong international public opinion.
48:37In any case, we file a new arbitration case.
48:39A big factor here is the element of active citizenship.
48:43We want to introduce a new normal where a lot of Filipino citizens can go there
48:48and peacefully assert themselves that not only China is there, not only you have control there.
48:54So we assert ourselves, we undermine China's illegal actions and illegal control of that area by ignoring it.
49:05Okay. I just want to reference what you said about a shift in public opinion
49:11and then you're advocating a new normal.
49:17But I want to ask you about what Randy David wrote about very recently about the rise of a new nationalism.
49:26Because what your coalition is fighting for is not just fishing rights, but sovereignty.
49:35It's a form of nationalism.
49:37You're asserting the rights of Filipinos to territory, to its traditional fishing waters.
49:44What Randy said is very basic.
49:46Because you're activists, along with Ed de la Torre.
49:50Randy said that the modern Filipino nationalist tradition was pro-China.
50:00Pro-China, that's the roots.
50:02Even Ed de la Torre, you've mentioned it.
50:04He's one of the leaders of this coalition.
50:07He's an ex-communist.
50:10He's also an ex-priest.
50:11He's also mentioned sometimes.
50:13But he himself has been part of this anti-China, pro-Filipino mission.
50:23Do you agree with that?
50:25I mean, it's not just a shift in public opinion, but it's a new form of nationalism.
50:30Because the left was allied with China.
50:36China, of course, is a communist state.
50:39For a while, it was a model for a lot of movements around the world.
50:44And the enemy was America, imperialist America.
50:48But now, you can see your mission as somehow allied with U.S. interests, whether you like it or not.
50:58Both the U.S. and the Philippines want China out of those waters for their own agenda.
51:05So, what do you think, Don, in terms of part of the bigger picture here about where our society is going related to this issue of West Philippine Sea?
51:16Has it ignited this new nationalism that's now more anti-China than pro-China?
51:23Definitely, there's a shift, not only in the public consciousness, but also in the discourse within the broad left and progressive movement here in the Philippines.
51:33For the longest time, the analysis of many progressives, many left-leaning organizations and political parties,
51:40is focused on U.S. imperialism, the dominance of the U.S. war machinery, its economics in our country.
51:52But in the last, I think the last decade, members of ATINTO, particularly Akbayan, introduced that not only the U.S. is undermining our rights,
52:11but also the slow but assertive rise of China in our country.
52:18In fact, within our political party, Akbayan, we are assessing that China is on the path towards imperialism.
52:29We're not ready yet to say that it's an imperialist country, but surely enough, it is on its way of mimicking the superpowers like the United States and Russia, what they have been doing right now.
52:44In fact, they're also planning on establishing military bases abroad.
52:51I think they have already one in Africa, and they are asking other countries to support their staging of military bases.
53:03Second, they have this assertive and continuing claim to parts of the region that are not theirs.
53:15They are claiming parts of Vietnam, they are claiming parts of Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
53:21So yeah, definitely there's a shift in the discourse in the left.
53:29Even as we continue to criticize and oppose U.S. imperialist policies,
53:35we should not give China that we're not listening to their imperial ambitions, not just in our region, but in the whole world.
53:54So there's a continuing debate among many progressives here in the Philippines.
53:59We see it, we are united in saying that right now, China poses the most real and imminent threat to our territorial integrity in the West Philippine Sea.
54:10Okay, finally, you have referred to Bajo de Masinlo, but you've also called it Panatog Shoal.
54:17It's also being called Scarborough Shoal in other contexts.
54:21What should Filipinos call it if you consider language and names are important to this whole discourse?
54:28What should we call it?
54:31Bajo de Masinlo is a Spanish name that I named when we were still a colony in Spain.
54:39Bajo de Masinlo is also a good name because it shows that even during Spanish rule,
54:46it's still a part of our territory.
54:49But because we're in a modern era, we should call it Panatog Shoal.
54:56Okay, so on that note, thank you very much for your time and for sharing.
55:04Eman Hizon, co-convener of Atinito Coalition that's been conducting civilian missions to the West Philippine Sea.
55:12Long live and may you always be safe.
55:16Thank you very much.
55:17Thank you very much.