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The Philippines will not deploy its FA-50 fighter jets to the West Philippine Sea and will instead continue to use patrol aircrafts despite China’s recent harassment over Bajo de Masinloc, military officials said on Tuesday.

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West Philippines 08212024

Michael Delizo

Pia Gutierrez

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/172421665374120210612-ph-rise-solidarity-maritime-patrol-PAF-1.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Members of the Philippine Air Force led by the Tactical Operations Wing Northern Luzon hold a Solidarity Maritime Patrol over Philippine Rise to mark the 123rd Philippine Independence Day and the Celebration of the 5th Anniversary of the Renaming of Philippine Rise on Saturday. Philippine Air Force "/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><span id="isPasted" style="color:rgb(51, 51, 51);letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;display:inline !important;float:none">Members of the Philippine Air Force led by the Tactical Operations Wing Northern Luzon hold a Solidarity Maritime Patrol over Philippine Rise to mark the 123rd Philippine Independence Day and the Celebration of the 5th Anniversary of the Renaming of Philippine Rise on Saturday. <em>Philippine Air Force</em></span><em> </em></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="white-space-collapse:preserve"> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">MANILA – The Philippines will not deploy its FA-50 fighter jets to the West Philippine Sea and will instead continue to use patrol aircrafts despite China’s recent harassment over Bajo de Masinloc, military officials said on Tuesday.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Affairs Office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said Manila does not intend to escalate tensions after two Chinese air force warplanes had buzzed and dropped flares near a Philippine maritime patrol plane.  </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/13/philippines-protests-china-s-flare-use-vs-plane-1021">Philippines protests China’s flare use vs plane</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“If you are to use fighter jets, I think you have a different intention for that one. What we are doing here is our rightful maritime patrol within our exclusive economic zone. The intent is very clear: we do not intend any escalation on our part,” Trinidad said. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla also said fast aircraft would not be efficient in maritime patrols. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“These are maritime patrols. ‘Yong jet, mabilis ang lipad niya. So, we cannot conduct a maritime patrol per se if sobrang bilis ng lipad ng aircraft. So, for these missions, we will still use the aircraft that we’re using currently,” she said. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Philippine Air Force (PAF) operates 12 FA-50PH light fighter jets and is still assessing the capabilities of more advanced jets for its modernization program.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. last week reaffirmed the government’s commitment to acquire multi-role fighter jets following China’s harassment in the West Philippine Sea airspace. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/14/teodoro-reaffirms-commitment-to-acquire-fighter-jets-after-china-s-flare-use-1320">Teodoro reaffirms commitment to acquire fighter jets after China’s flare use</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><strong>&#x27;CHINESE SHIPS NOT YET CAUSE FOR ALARM&#x27;  </strong></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The recent increase in the presence of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea is not yet a cause for alarm for Philippine authorities, the Philippine Navy said Wednesday.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">As many as 129 vessels of the Chinese maritime militia, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, and the Chinese Coast Guard have been spotted in the country’s EEZ, up from the 92 vessels monitored by the Philippine Navy last week.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“Marami sa Ayungin Shoal at sa Pag-asa island… karamihan nito ay maritime militia, 41 sa Ayungin at 30 sa Pag-Asa island,” Trinidad said in a televised briefing.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“Hindi naman ito nakakabahala sapagkat ang range naman ng namomonitor natin over the past 3 months ay from a low of 80 up to 256 so nagfa-fluctuate doon depende sa weather, yung climate sa area, depende anong nais gawin nila… Itong number na ito ay within acceptable limits naman sa atin,” Trinidad continued.</span><br/><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">China claims almost the entire South China Sea despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Both countries said on Monday that their coast guard ships had collided near Escoda Shoal, located 140 kilometers west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 kilometers from Hainan island, the closest Chinese landmass. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/20/afp-129-chinese-ships-monitored-in-west-philippine-sea-in-past-week-1301">AFP: 129 Chinese ships monitored in West Philippine Sea in past week</a></span><br/><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/8/19/beijing-says-chinese-philippine-ships-collided-in-disputed-south-china-sea-900">Task force says &#x27;aggressive&#x27; Chinese ships have damaged PCG patrol vessels</a></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The incident cannot be considered a “flashpoint” in the West Philippine Sea, Trinidad said. </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“Kung makita natin ay bago lang naman ang girian na yon ng dalawang barko ng Coast Guard natin, at ang Chinese Coast Guard. When you say a flashpoint, ito ay matagal na, the potential for escalation is great,” he said.</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">“Ito ay kasama sa mga panibagong dynamics, panibagong challenge na hinaharap ng Philippine Navy at ng Armed Forces of the Philippines when it comes to the West Philippine Sea.”</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Philippine government earlier slammed the “unprofessional and dangerous actions” of the Chinese Coast Guard as it expressed “serious concern” over the “deliberate harassment and infringement by China against Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.” </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">It also urged Beijing “to refrain from aggressive actions and adhere to international law.”</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:#000000;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><strong>– With a report from Agence France-Presse </strong></span></div><div><br/></div>

<p>The Philippines will not deploy its FA-50 fighter jets to the West Philippine Sea and will instead continue to use patrol aircrafts despite China’s recent harassment over Bajo de Masinloc, military officials said on Tuesday.</p>

PH won’t send fighter jets to West Philippine Sea: military

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PH won’t send fighter jets to West Philippine Sea: military

Michael Delizo,

Pia Gutierrez,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 21, 2024 01:11 PM PHT

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Updated Aug 21, 2024 03:51 PM PHT

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