Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 25) – The National Security Council (NSC) is investigating reports concerning piles of dead, crushed corals sighted in Sandy Cay 2, a sandbar close to Pag-asa island in the West Philippine Sea after environmental damage was observed in Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal.
Media reports and social media posts surfaced on Saturday showing massive piles of crushed corals atop the West Philippine Sea sandbar. A senator earlier said the destruction of reefs was a prelude to reclamation.
“Dito naman sa Sandy Cay, aalamin po natin kung ano ba talaga ang nangyari. Unang-una, yung mga crushed corals na naitambak diyan, sino nga ba talaga ang nagtambak diyan? Pangalawa, ano yung mga circumstances na nangyari?” NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said during a public televised briefing on Monday.
[Translation: Here in Sandy Cay, we’re gonna find out what really happened. First, who dumped those piles of crushed corals there? Second, what were the circumstances behind it?]
The Philippines earlier this month accused China of harvesting and dumping crushed corals in Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal after its militia vessels were spotted over the affected waters.
“In the meantime, dahil ito pong balitang ito ay kapuputok lamang, uunahin po muna natin yung pag-verify [Because this news just broke, we need to verify first]. We must verify the circumstances and facts behind what happened here kasi nga baka sabihin na naman ay gumagawa na naman tayo ng [because we might be accused again of creating] political drama out of fiction,” he continued.
Malaya is referring to China’s statement denying involvement in the environmental damage, wherein the eastern superpower notorious for harassing Filipino vessels accused the Philippines of “creating political drama from fiction.”
READ: ‘Political drama from fiction’: China denies damaging coral reefs in West PH Sea
The Department of Justice, the Office of the Solicitor General, and the Philippine Coast Guard are set to meet this week to discuss possible legal actions against China over the alleged environmental destruction in the country’s exclusive economic zone.
Among these options is once again filing a complaint before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA).
READ: DOJ, OSG to discuss filing of cases against China for alleged destruction of WPS reefs
Manila first filed a complaint in 2013 before an international tribunal constituted under UNCLOS to contest Beijing’s sweeping claims over the South China Sea, one that overlapped with the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
