Following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to safeguard the country’s maritime zones, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) intensified the monitoring of Chinese vessels spotted around 69 nautical miles off Cabra Island, Occidental Mindoro, within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
In a Palace briefing on Tuesday, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Press Officer Claire Castro said the latest sighting, which coincided with the ninth anniversary of the Philippines’ legal victory in the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, has heightened concern in the government.
“Sa ninth anniversary ng 2016 South China Sea Arbitral award, nababahala si Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro sa patuloy na hindi pagkilala ng China sa nasabing ruling at sa illegal, coercive at aggressive actions nito,” Castro said.
“Naniniwala si Secretary Lazaro na ang pagpapatatag ng kaayusang nakabatay sa mga alituntunin at ang pagsulong ng arbitral award ay nakasalalay sa diplomasya,” Castro added.
On Saturday, authorities spotted two Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy warships and a China Coast Guard vessel in Occidental Mindoro which clearly falls within the country’s EEZ.
On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights within its EEZ in the West Philippine Sea and rejected as without legal basis China’s claim over most of the South China Sea.
Castro also presented the position of Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro that defending Philippine sovereign rights and jurisdiction is not an act of provocation but a sacred and fundamental duty of the state.
The Palace Press Officer also noted that National Security Adviser Eduardo Año has maintained that no threats or misinformation can undermine the final and legally binding nature of the arbitral ruling.
“Sa ilalim ng Marcos administration, kasama ang kapangyarihan ng international law, hindi aatras ang Pilipinas para sa laban sa soberanya sa West Philippine Sea,” Castro said. | PND
