Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Thursday ordered the filing ofthree new diplomatic protests against China over a series of unlawful actions taken by Beijing in the West Philippine Sea.
In a string of tweets on Thursday, Locsin said he wanted separate protests filed on China’s radio challenges issued against Philippine maritime patrols, the unlawful restriction of Filipino fishermen from Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), and the continued presence of Chinese ships in the vicinity of Iroquois Reef, some 125 nauticalmiles off the coast of Palawan.
Scarborough Shoal, located 124 nautical miles off the coast of Masinloc, Zambales, is a traditional fishing ground for Filipinos and other nationals.
Locsin did not disclose further details about the latest Chinese incursions.
The fresh diplomatic protests follow a flurry of notes verbale lodged by the DFA early this year over Beijing's continued and increased presence within Philippine waters.
On Wednesday, Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon, sponsor of the National Security Council's (NSC) 2022 budget, confirmed that some 150 Chinese fishing vessels were sighted in the West Philippine Sea.
Citing information from the NSC, Biazon said the vessels were engaged in “fishing operations, moving from one spot to another" in the area.
China, the Philippines, and several other littoral states have overlapping claims in the West Philippine Sea.
In a 2016 arbitral ruling, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that Beijing's nine-dash line, a demarcation that covers almost 80 percent of the South China Sea, is illegal.