Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario — two of the key voices in the country’s maritime case against China — are calling attention to the ecological damage in the South China Sea.
Nearly 13 million square meters of coral reefs in the South China Sea have been turned into artificial islands — that’s five times larger than the size of of Bonifacio Global City in Metro Manila. Thousands of giant clams, sea turtles, and other endangered species have also been poached in the disputed waters.
Carpio and Del Rosario say the massive destruction of the marine environment must stop.
“These realities are not just unsustainable — they are unacceptable,” Del Rosario said during a forum in Manila on Thursday.
Both of them are bothered by China’s continuous militarization of the Spratlys.
“In the past, they violated international law. They continue to violate international law after the award has been passed down so, (it’s) a little bit worrisome,” Del Rosario added.
For his part, Carpio said that he was not surprised, but are “very concerned.”
The Associate Justice stressed that other claimants in the South China Sea must take action to prevent China from causing more damage to the marine environment.
He reiterated a call to declare the Spratlys as an International Marine Peace Park.
“I think we have to move forward. We cannot stay on this, we’re not moving at all. So I think the Philippines should talk to Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia to come up with its joint position. Let’s declare the Spratlys as a marine protected area on our own. We can do that,” he pointed out.
According to Carpio, the Philippine government is open to the idea. He added that the Philippines can sue China for damages before a tribunal of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Del Rosario emphasized the need for international cooperation in managing and resolving the South China Sea disputes.
“Because we need them. We can’t do this alone. We need friends. We need our allies. We need our strategic partners. We need not only to get close to them but closer. But we need new friends. Because it’s going to take, I think, a significant movement on the part of the responsible community of nations to get us to where want to go as far as far as getting China to honor this award.”
He said talking to China one-on-one would be good — but the government will ultimately would need other countries to support its claims. That’s because China has shown no sign of backing down.
