Volunteers complete 3rd Atin Ito mission, safely arrive in Manila

The ship carrying Atin Ito volunteers safely return to Manila after completing their third civilian mission. INQUIRER.net / FAITH ARGOSINO

MANILA, Philippines — The ship carrying Atin Ito volunteers has completed its third civilian mission and safely arrived in Manila on Friday afternoon.

Training ship (T/S) Felix Oca docked at the Manila port around 5:20 p.m.

READ: West Philippine Sea Atin Ito mission: Crewman recalls first sight of Chinese threat 

Among the Atin Ito volunteers were the ship’s crew, cadets, members of the media, as well as local and foreign music artists from Korea, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Atin Ito completed its mission in Pag-asa Island and conducted a sea concert there and a pre-departure concert in El Nido, Palawan. The coalition also distributed over 20 gallons of fuel to fisherfolk from the island.

During the mission, T/S Felix Oca captain Jorge Dela  Cruz had announced sighting two Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels shadowing the Atin Ito convoy and two other PCG vessels escorting it during the mission’s second day (May 27).

One of the CCG vessels even issued a radio challenge against the civilian ship and the PCG vessels.

Beijing’s continued aggression was based on its assertion of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea, as it continues to reject the 2016 arbitral ruling that effectively dismissed its claims and ruled in favor of Manila. /jpv