By Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 25) — The Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) on Monday said it will review all incidents in the West Philippine Sea since the 2016 arbitral award to collect evidence to support a possible case against China amid its continuing aggression in the contested waters.
“The OSG will gather information on all incidents at the WPS since the first arbitral award in 2016, including the most recent ones involving reef destruction and floating barriers,” Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said in a statement. “We need solid evidence that will stand up in any tribunal.”
He was referring to the 2016 arbitral tribunal award that invalidated China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, ruling largely in favor of the Philippines in areas of its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf that are being claimed by Beijing. The East Asian giant continues to reject the ruling.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Sept. 22 that he will meet with the OSG this week to discuss possible actions the Philippines can take following China’s alleged destruction of coral reefs at Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal.
Remulla told CNN Philippines’ The Source that the Permanent Court of Arbitration will be the best venue to bring the case since “they already have an institutional memory of all of these that China is doing.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Affairs (DFA) condemned the action of China, saying that the reported installation of barriers is a violation of international law.
The department also stressed that China’s actions have negative effects on the livelihood of Filipino fisherfolk.
“Bajo de Masinloc is an integral part of the Philippines over which we have sovereignty and territorial jurisdiction according to UNCLOS. The 2016 Arbitral Award affirms it as a traditional fishing ground of Filipino fisherfolk,” The DFA said in a statement on Monday.
“We will take all appropriate measures to protect our country’s sovereignty and the livelihood of our fisherfolk,” It added.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada, the chairman of the Senate committee on national defense, said on Monday that they are scheduling a visit to inspect the area. He said he hopes the DND and AFP will agree, but did not elaborate on who else plan to join the trip.
“Kailangan talagang matanggal immediately, dahil alam mo nakakainis paulit ulit na lang tong ginagawa ng incursions ng Chinese. Yung sa Bajo De Masinloc, ay talaga namang atin ‘yon, pagmamay-ari ng Pilipinas ‘yon. They have no right to go there, they have no right to put barriers there,” he said in a telephone interview.
[Translation: It needs to be removed immediately because as we all know, China is irritating us with its repeated incursions. Bajo De Masinloc is really ours; the Philippines owns it.]
Deputy Speaker and Batangas Representative Ralph Recto also expressed his dismay in a separate statement.
“China is playing a different kind of hunger games, making fish scarce for us, while satiating its people’s large appetite for seafood,” Recto said.
“China must be called out for what it is really doing in the WPS: a food blockade that is a crime against humanity,” he added.
Source: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/9/25/osg-2016-arbitral-ruling-case-vs-china.html