Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 30) — The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) has filed three petitions asking the United Nations to stop Chinese incursion in the West Philippine Sea.
The petitions addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres call on the world body to declare the Chinese Coast Guard Law null and void, demilitarize the South China Sea, and address the impact of the incursion on food security.
In January, China implemented the controversial law that allows its coast guard to “take all necessary measures, including use of weapons, when national sovereign rights and jurisdiction are being illegally infringed upon by foreign organizations or individuals at sea.”
PAMALAKAYA said this law and the continued presence of Chinese vessels in disputed waters may be seen as an act of aggression against Filipino fisherfolk, and is a threat to the latter’s livelihood and on food security as reflected in the declining catch of Philippine fishers.
PAMALAKAYA noted that the West Philippine Sea accounts for 26% of the country’s fishing grounds and is a source of income for tens of thousands of fishers in different provinces. In 2014, the Philippine government reported that China’s reclamation activities in the area led to a ₱4.8 billion loss to the country’s economy and the local fisheries sector, it added.
The fishers group also cited a study by experts from the University of the Philippines in 2019 that said damage to coral reef and livelihood because of such activities has reached a total of ₱33 billion. The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea also estimated that around 240,000 kilos per day are being illegally fished by Chinese vessels, it added.
China’s drills in the West Philippine Sea also causes environmental risks and marine pollution as their warships discharge oil chemicals and dump untreated solid wastes into the sea, PAMALAKAYA said.
“At present, Filipino scientists estimated that the Chinese destruction of coral reefs have caused the damage valued at ₱1.92 trillion per year,” the group added.
The Philippine government has filed diplomatic protests against the presence of the Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea, but authorities said at least five of China’s coast guard ships have remained as of April 28.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry even urged the Philippines to respect their sovereignty, rights, and interests in the South China Sea, and to stop any action that will complicate the situation in the region. This is despite an arbitral tribunal ruling in The Hague in 2016 affirming Manila’s sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone, which Beijing has consistently refused to recognize.
