Privilege Speech of Senator Risa Hontiveros on Bataan incident

PHILIPPINES, December 10 - Press Release
December 9, 2024

Privilege Speech of Senator Risa Hontiveros on Bataan incident

Mr. President, dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen.

I rise today on a matter of grave importance to the Filipino people. I realize that these are very fluid political times, with political events still unfolding even as we start to think about our Noche Buena.

Ang kinakatakot ko po, dear colleagues, mga kasama, ay habang busy ang bansa sa mga kaganapan dito, nasasalisihan tayo ng mga kalaban.

Last week, the Philippine Coast Guard reported that thirteen undocumented Chinese nationals were found on a dredging vessel. MV Harvest 89, in Mariveles, Bataan on November 26, 2024, around 2 in the afternoon. Laking gulat at pagtataka ng PCG na sa isang routine pre-departure inspection para ma-secure ang Masters Declaration of Safe Departure (MDSD), the crew members attempted to deny them entry. Ok naman na daw ang kanilang documentation. Smelling a rat, our coast guards boarded the vessel where they discovered nine undocumented Chinese crew members, and when they searched deeper, they found four more, bringing the total to 13. Ito po ang ilan sa mga IDs na nahanap nila.

Mas nakakapagtaka, may nahanap na PLA uniform on board. Parang yung mga PLA uniform na nahanap sa mga POGO.

Dredging operations conducted by Chinese vessels in our waters have long alarmed the communities on the affected coasts. Dredging does not merely reshape the seabed; it disrupts ecosystems, destroys marine habitats, and contributes to long-term ecological imbalance. The repercussions of such actions ripple far beyond our shores, threatening food security and biodiversity. But the implications of this recent discovery are deeply troubling, as they hint at activities that go far beyond the guise of commercial operations.

Itanong po natin: what is the company behind this? The company behind this is the state-run CHINA HARBOUR ENGINEER COMPANY o CHEC, blacklisted by the United States in 2020 for its role in the red militarization of the South China Sea, and blacklisted even farther back by the World Trade Organization for its corrupt practices. Subsidiary po ito ng China Communications Construction Company o CCCC na minsan ko nang pinanawagan na i-blacklist. Naghain din ako ng Resolution, PSR No. 989 in April this year, dahil itong CHEC ay involved din sa large-scale sand quarrying activities na nakakasira ng kalikasan.

Kahit saan dako ng mundo tila nagkakalat ng lagim itong CHEC. "One of the Chinese business giants that the Communist Party uses for everything is CHEC, part of that monster called China that moves with many arms, but is always the same animal" - ito ang sabi ni Mr. Douglas Farrah, an international analyst specializing in Latin American affairs, where CHEC also has problematic infrastructure projects.

Tingnan po natin itong example ng Alien Employment Permit mula sa mga natagpuan na Chinese doon sa vessel, ang nakalista po na company dito ay China Harbour Engineering Company. Kung may AEC sila, bakit po kailangan magtago? Bakit po kailangang wala ang pangalan nila sa manifest, gayong legal naman ang kanilang gawain dito sa bansa natin? Kataka-taka ito.

Lastly, Mr. President, hindi po ito ang unang pagkakataon na may nahuli ang ating mga Coast Guards na mga dredging vessels na gumagawa ng kabalastugan within our waters. In May of this year, our coast guards also apprehended a vessel pretending to carry a flag of the Republic, when in fact it was registered to Sierra Leone. Its crew members were all Chinese nationals.

The presence of undocumented Chinese nationals aboard a vessel engaged in such contentious operations is a chilling revelation. What were they doing there? Who permitted their entry? Were they acting as laborers, or, as some fear, engaging in activities of an intelligence-gathering nature?

Espionage is not merely the stuff of spy novels. As we have sadly learned due to recent events, it is a clear and present danger in the modern geopolitical landscape. Sabi nga ng NICA sa aming natapos na na POGO hearings in which a Philippine Mayor was confirmed by our intelligence apparatus to be an "agent of influence", lahat po ng rehiyon ng Pilipinas ay infiltrated na ng agents ng Chinese Communist Party.

When foreign nationals operate covertly in our territory, it compromises not only our security apparatus but also the trust of our citizens in government's ability to protect them.

Mr. President, colleagues, this is a moment for resolve. Let us demand transparency, accountability, and swift action from all concerned agencies. I propose the following measures:

Immediate Investigation: Task the Department of Justice through the Bureau of Immigration to probe the undocumented individuals found aboard these vessels. Who are they, and what are their objectives? Siyasatin din ang kanilang mga Alien Employment Permits na binigay ng Department of Labor and Employment.

Environmental Audit: Direct the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to conduct an exhaustive assessment of the environmental damage caused by these dredging operations and hold responsible parties accountable.

Policy Review: Mandate a review of all existing agreements that permit foreign entities to engage in resource extraction or related activities within our waters, ensuring that these agreements align not just with ecological preservation but also national security.

Strengthened Oversight: Equip our maritime forces and intelligence agencies kagaya ng Philippine Coast Guard with the tools, technology, and resources needed to monitor and safeguard our maritime territories effectively.

Pang huli po, we should rescind contracts with blacklisted companies like CHEC that commit violations in our waters. When they violate our laws, the consequences should be clear.

Salamat po, Mr. President.