President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine Coast Guard to produce a map of the fishing area belonging to the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea.
This after Philippine authorities accused the Chinese Coast Guard of performing dangerous maneuvers at Ayungin Shoal that almost caused a collision between their ship and the Philippine Coast Guard patrol vessel BRP Malapascua.
While en route to the United States for an official visit, Marcos emphasized the importance of establishing effective communication at a high level to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
“I’ve asked the Coast Guard and the DFA to put together, perhaps, a map of the fishing grounds. We will say that this really belongs to the Philippines, and we will wait and see their response when we present our proposal,” Marcos said.
The President said he had brought up the incident of the near-collision in the West Philippine Sea with the Chinese authorities.
“You know, this is the kind of thing that we are hoping to avoid. But this time, it was a little more dangerous because the ships nearly collided due to their proximity. And that will cause casualties on both sides, and that is exactly what we want to avoid,” he said.
China team
Marcos said the Philippine government was currently awaiting the completion of China’s team which will be responsible for this level of communication, stressing that the priority is to ensure the fishing rights of Filipinos.
“Well, they agree, they’re working on it so, but you know, I said until we have that, we will continue to be doing this. So I brought the discussion back to fishing grounds. I asked, ‘Can we talk about fishing grounds because that is our first priority for now?’” Marcos said.
“I mean, of course, the overall priority is to safeguard our maritime territory, but then when you go down into the details, the most immediate, let’s say, the concern is the fishing rights. So that’s what we have to do. That’s what we have to decide, and they have agreed again to sit down,” he added.
During his state visit to Beijing last January, Marcos suggested a communication mechanism to President Xi Jinping. He also raised concerns about Filipino fishermen’s difficulties in the West Philippine Sea due to the Chinese harassment.
In light of the recent near-collision, the Department of Foreign Affairs has again urged China to respect the Philippines’ legal rights to conduct maritime patrols.
On 23 April, a China Coast Guard vessel came very close to the Philippine Coast Guard’s BRP Malapascua, blocking its path and endangering its crew.
China claimed the near-collision was caused by the Philippine Coast Guard’s “premeditated and provocative action.”
However, the Philippine Coast Guard said its maritime patrol in the West Philippine Sea did not intend to provoke.
Following the incident, the Department of Transportation on Monday maintained it remained unfazed by the continued harassment by Chinese maritime authorities.
Rule of law
“Armed with the rule of law and the support of like-minded states, the DoTr-PCG will not be deterred by these aggressive and provocative measures irresponsibly employed to impose territorial and maritime assertions which are devoid of basis,” the DoTr, mother agency of the PCG, said in a statement.
The DoTr views the incident as a “grave concern against the Philippines,” which happened in the confines of the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone in the West Philippine Sea.
“Without a doubt, the PCG was in the legitimate exercise of Philippine rights in the said area as granted by international law,” the DoTr maintained.
To recall, the Chinese Coast Guard was also involved in a bullying incident at Ayungin Shoal when its vessel “deliberately” shone a strong military-grade laser beam at the crew of the BRP Malapascua last February, causing their temporary blindness.
The United States, a close ally of the Philippines, criticized the move of the Chinese maritime crew and said it was a provocative and unsafe manner that directly threatened regional peace and stability, infringed on the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law, and undermined the rules-based international order.
Meanwhile, PCG spokesperson Rear Admiral Armand Balilo said they would follow the order of the President to map out and identify the Philippines’ fishing grounds in the West Philippine Sea.
“We are very much willing to cooperate with the regional fishing agreement, with or without the guidance of the President. We cannot deny the fact that from time to time, there are incidents of our fishermen being shooed away in the West Philippine Sea, that is why we maintain our presence in that area to protect our people,” Balilo said.
Marcos had tasked the Department of Foreign Affairs and the PCG to make a map identifying the country’s fishing grounds, noting that the incident at Ayungin Shoal had been raised with the Chinese government.
“Well, they agree, they’re working on it, but you know I said until we have that, we will continue to be doing this. So binalik ko ‘yung usapan sa fishing grounds. Sabi ko, pwede ba pag-usapan na natin ‘yung fishing grounds dahil ito naman talaga ang first priority natin for now. I mean, of course, the overall priority is to safeguard our maritime territory but then when you go down into the details, the most immediate, let’s say, the concern is the fishing rights. So that’s what we have to do. That’s what we have to decide and they have agreed again to sit down,” the President said.
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