PAG-ASA ISLAND, PALAWAN, Philippines — What Rodrigo Duterte could only joke about in the 2016 presidential campaign, activist coalition Atin Ito actually achieved a decade later when it carried out a jet-ski flag ride in waters off Pag-asa (Thitu) Island, a key highlight of its fourth civilian mission to the West Philippine Sea.
The symbolic activity reinforced the group’s continued push to assert the Philippines’ sovereign rights through peaceful civilian action amid China’s persistent presence in the area.
“Because a Mindanaoan promised and misled [the voters that he would] take a jet-ski ride in the West Philippine Sea, another Mindanaoan and a woman today stood up to do this for our country,” Akbayan Party-list Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula, who led the activity, said in Filipino.
Ismula, who hails from Zamboanga City, was apparently referring to former President Duterte, who, as a presidential candidate in 2016, promised to ride a jet ski to challenge Chinese incursion in Philippine waters, but later dismissed it as a joke.
Atin Ito’s latest mission runs from April 30 to May 5, and includes the delivery of fuel, food and medicines, cultural activities, and island visits, among others.
Chinese presence
The group earlier Sunday also successfully planted the Philippine flag on Pag-asa Cay 2 (Sandy Cay) despite the obvious Chinese presence in the area.
Ismula and other Atin Ito volunteers departed from Pag-asa Island at 5:40 a.m. aboard a rubber boat and made their way to the cay.
They said they were able to move past several Chinese vessels patrolling nearby waters.
Ismula called the action a peaceful but defiant stand against China’s illegal incursions.
“Our message is clear: the West Philippine Sea is ours. No amount of intimidation can erase that fact,” she added.
Pag-asa Cay 2 lies within the Philippines’ territorial waters and forms part of the Pag-asa Island area.
It has recently emerged as a point of tension, amid reports of China Coast Guard activity and ongoing Philippine patrols.
‘Huge help’
The Armed Forces of the Philippines commended the successful mission, describing it as a testament to the indomitable spirit of Filipinos and a powerful assertion of the nation’s sovereignty.
“By peacefully asserting our presence in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Atin Ito mission amplifies the voice of our fisherfolk and local communities,” AFP spokesperson for the WPS Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad said in a statement.
Part of Atin Ito’s mission was to turn over supplies to Mayor Billy Alindogan and Vice Mayor MP Albayda of Kalayaan, Palawan.
Supplies were also handed over to Larry “King Fisher” Hugo, fisherfolk representative of Pag-asa Island, and Nonoy Camacho, founding president of the Samakko Organization.
“This is a huge help for our fisherfolks who are facing difficulties due to the high prices of diesel and gasoline,” said Hugo, who has lived in Pag-asa for 17 years. —WITH A REPORT FROM ZACARIAN SARAO
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