HOUSE Speaker Martin Romualdez urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to bring China’s “concerning actions” in the West Philippine Sea before the United Nations.
In a statement on Sunday, Romualdez said it was time “to consider stronger measures” as he condemned the ramming by the China Coast Guard (CCG) of a Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel Saturday.
“With a heavy heart and unwavering resolve, I strongly condemn the recent acts of aggression by the China Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea. The ramming of the BRP Teresa Magbanua, one of our largest and most modern patrol vessels, is a troubling incident that raises serious questions about respect for international law and our nation’s dignity,” Romualdez said.
Sea protest Fishermen from Batangas, Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Laguna and Cavite gather in Calatagan, Batangas, on Sept. 1, 2024, to condemn the recent collision between a China Coast Guard vessel and the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Teresa Magbanua. Photo by Ismael De Juan
“This event, the fifth of its kind this month alone, represents a significant escalation in tensions over the Escoda (Sabina) Shoal — an area clearly within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” he said.
Romualdez said the CCG’s actions “are cause for serious reflection” and prompt the Philippines must reassess how it protects its maritime rights and interests.
“It is time for us to consider stronger measures. We should enhance our presence in the West Philippine Sea, reinforce our alliances, and ensure that our capabilities are sufficient to protect our sovereign rights,” he said.
Romualdez said the global community, including the United Nations, “should be made aware of these concerning actions.”
Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers condemned what he described as “bullying” by the CCG.
“While our PCG still practices maximum tolerance, we should all stand our ground against the China Coast Guard’s brazen bullying and violence against our sailors,” Barbers said in a statement on Sunday.
In a statement on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller said the “United States stands with its ally, the Philippines.”
Miller reiterated the US’ call for China “to comport its claims and actions with international law and to desist from dangerous and destabilizing conduct.”
The US condemned Beijing’s “dangerous and escalatory actions … against lawful Philippine maritime operations in the vicinity of Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea on August 31.”
China’s “unlawful claims of ‘territorial sovereignty’ over ocean areas where no land territory exists, and its increasingly aggressive actions to enforce them, threaten the freedoms of navigation and overflight of all nations,” Miller said.
He said that a China Coast Guard vessel “deliberately collided three times with a Philippine Coast Guard vessel exercising its freedom of navigation in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, causing damage to the vessel and jeopardizing the safety of the crew onboard.”
“On multiple occasions throughout August 2024, the PRC (People’s Republic of China) has aggressively disrupted lawful Philippine aerial and maritime operations in the South China Sea, including at Sabina Shoal,” he said.
Japanese Ambassador to Manila Endo Kazuya said Japan stands with the Philippines in upholding the rule of law as he expressed concern over China’s repeated dangerous actions in the South China Sea.
Endo on Sunday said as a stakeholder of the South China Sea, Japan was seriously concerned over the repeated incidents, including the collision by a CCG vessel against a Philippine vessel.”
“Japan opposes any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion,” Endo posted on X.
He said Tokyo would “continue working in coordination with the international community to maintain and strengthen the free and open international order based on the rule of law.”
The envoy said the issue “with regard to the South China Sea is directly related to the peace and stability of the region and is a legitimate concern of the international community.”
“The issue is also an important matter of interest for Japan, which depends on sea transport for most of its resources and energy,” he said.
Japan raised the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).
Endo said Unclos “sets forth the conditions for the application of baselines in a specific and exhaustive manner, whereas China has failed to invoke the relevant provisions of Unclos in asserting the lawfulness of the baselines in question.”
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in July 2016 ruled that the “historical rights” based on the “nine-dash line” claimed by China were found to be contrary to Unclos and were clearly denied.
“Regrettably, China has not changed its position of not accepting the Arbitral Tribunal’s award to the Philippines and China and has continued to assert maritime claims that are inconsistent with the Unclos,” he said.
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