President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said the enforcement of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) will be strengthened if the ASEAN and the European Union will join voices amid the tensions in the South China Sea.
Speaking at the press conference of the EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in Brussels Thursday, the President said the commitment of the two blocs provides a “very strong position to be able to negotiate” on issues surrounding the disputed waters.
“One of the reasons that we have these conferences is to map out any possible actions that might be jointly taken because every action that might be taken that objects or brings a light to a possible violation of the UNCLOS is much stronger when it is brought about by a group of nations such as ASEAN,” the Philippine leader said.
“If the EU now with our strategic partnership is able to also join their voices to that, then that will be much stronger into terms of actually being able to enforce what UNCLOS is all about,” he added.
The presidential statement came as a photo released by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Thursday showed 12 Chinese vessels around the eastern part of Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
The photo was taken during an aerial patrol on Nov. 23, according to the AFP Western Command (Wescom).
It said similar ships were also spotted in the western part of the shoal.
Similar Chinese vessels were also seen in the same area on Dec. 5, the Wescom added.
Last week, Wescom reported that several Chinese vessels have been moving much closer to Palawan in recent months.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Senate has referred to the Committees on National Defense and Foreign Relations the privilege speech made by Senator Francis Tolentino regarding a recent “bullying” by a Chinese vessel of the Philippine Navy in the West Philippine Sea.
After various manifestations from colleagues during the chamber’s last regular session this year, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva moved to adopt an unnumbered resolution expressing “disgust” over the incident.
“We can put to the whereas clauses the persistent violations of our sovereignty in this area but citing this particular latest incident in the West Philippine Sea. And maybe we can add there the bravery of our Naval soldiers who retrieved this debris at this particular time even without arms using a rubber boat facing such a massive force,” Zubiri said.
The 1982 UNCLOS is an international treaty establishing legal framework for maritime activities.
It says countries can claim an area 12 nautical miles (22 km) from the coast as their territorial seas, where they have full sovereignty.
They can also claim waters up to 200 nautical miles from the coast as an exclusive economic zone, where they have a sovereign right to the water column and sea floor as well as resources, but other countries still have the right to sail through or fly over the waters.
Mr. Marcos said EU’s commitment in the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties, to UNCLOS, and its support for the Philippines’ arbitral win on issues surrounding the South China Sea “is already a very, very big step for us in the Philippines.”
“We now have the support, a strategic support from not only the member countries of EU but of EU itself,” he said.
He noted that the EU could act as a third party to “negotiate further these difficulties that we are all having to face with the problems in terms of territoriality in the South China Sea.”
The Philippines is locked in a maritime dispute with China in the South China Sea, where Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan also have competing claims. China is regarded as the most aggressive among the claimants in the waters believed to be rich in oil and natural gas deposits.
China has ignored a 2016 decision by The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that declared its historical claim to be without basis.
President Marcos earlier said the Philippines would use the Hague ruling “to continue to assert our territorial rights.”
In August, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said the Philippines was willing to reopen joint exploration talks with China, “guided by our laws and our constitution.”
Department of National Defense officer-in-charge Senior Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. has expressed concern on the presence of Chinese vessels in the Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal, saying that they will continuously hold maritime and aerial surveillance in the area.
“The President’s directive to the Department is clear – we will not give up a single square inch of Philippine territory. We continue to conduct routine maritime and aerial patrols in the WPS,” he said.
“While the Philippines is still open for dialogue, he reiterated that activities violating the country’s sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction as well as undermining the peace and stability of the region are unacceptable,” he added.
Iroquois Reef is near the Ayungin Shoal or Second Thomas Shoal where the BRP Sierra Madre is.