The Philippines is not provoking any conflict in the South China Sea, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Tuesday, in response to Beijing’s accusation that Manila is repeatedly encroaching on Chinese territory.
“The Philippines is not provoking conflict. We follow international law and we are only implementing our domestic law,” AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said in an interview with state-run PTV4.
He added that the Philippines is not conducting activities that put vessels and seafarers in danger, and instead accused China of performing dangerous maneuvers that sometimes result in collisions at sea.
“They are the ones committing all the violations,” Aguilar said, pointing out that the Philippines was just conducting activities within its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone without endangering other countries passing through the area.
Aguilar said it was the Chinese that were conducting shadowing activities, dangerous maneuvers, and water cannon attacks, as well as causing collisions.
Earlier, Chinese state media falsely accused the Philippines of repeatedly infringing on China’s territory in the South China Sea and colluding with the United States to cause trouble.
The Philippines has relied on US support to continually provoke China, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China, the People’s Daily, wrote in a commentary on Monday.
This “extremely dangerous” behavior seriously harms regional peace and stability, the commentary said.
But Aguilar said many countries are siding with the Philippines because they acknowledge that Manila’s concerns are valid, a fact that can help strengthen the implementation of international law.
“This is the only way to peacefully resolve maritime disputes,” the AFP spokesperson said.
Tensions between China and Philippines have heightened in recent months as both sides trade accusations over a spate of run-ins in the South China Sea, including charges that China rammed a ship this month carrying AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.
The Philippines regularly deploys resupply missions for Filipino soldiers living aboard an aging warship, the BRP Sierra Madre, deliberately run aground in Ayungin Shoal in 1999 to protect Manila’s maritime claims.
Aguilar said the AFP is considering building a permanent structure as a shelter for fishers in Ayungin Shoal.
“Maybe it is still being planned because it should be an inter-agency program,” Aguilar said. “It was mentioned that it would be like a shelter for fisherfolk and therefore it will involve different government agencies.”
Aguilar also said the military is ready to perform its part in carrying out the construction project.
On Dec. 12, former Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio said the Philippines should build a structure on the Ayungin Shoal following the latest attacks against Filipino vessels in the WPS.
“We [should] put up a civilian structure at the Ayungin Shoal. For example, let’s build a lighthouse, or a marine scientific research center. Because Ayungin Shoal is part of our exclusive economic zone (EEZ), only we can build a structure there exclusively,” the former Supreme Court justice said.
“That’s what we should do. Instead of sending military supplies, we will be sending civilian supplies later. We will convert the activity from military to civilian,” Carpio added.
In August, Senator Chiz Escudero said he was planning to propose an allocation of at least P100 million in the 2024 national budget for the construction of a lodging facility in Ayungin Shoal.
Also on Tuesday, House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro blamed the past administration for its handling of China’s aggression in the WPS.
Castro, nominee of ACT Teachers, was referring to the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The Duterte administration’s handling of China’s bullying and incursions in the WPS borders on the traitorous that even now not even one of the Duterte family has condemned China’s more aggressive attacks on Philippine vessels,” she said.
Castro issued the statement as China’s top diplomat Wang Yi warned his Philippine counterpart that Manila “must act with caution,” following a flurry of tense maritime confrontations in the disputed South China Sea.
“We would like to reiterate to the Chinese Foreign Ministry that no country in the world aside from China recognizes its right to the West Philippine Sea. The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling on the South China Sea Arbitration is the one recognized by the world. It is China’s claim that is ‘illegal, null and void,'” Castro said.
The House of Representatives recently adopted a resolution reiterating that it was China that has intruded into Philippine territory in the West Philippine Sea, countering China’s unfounded claims.
“China should wake up from its delusion and face reality. The Philippines has every right to protect its territorial integrity and ensure the welfare of its people. China has no right to dictate our actions within our own territory,” she said.
Furthermore, Castro called on the government to assert its sovereignty and safeguard the rights of Filipino fishers in Scarborough Shoal, urging diplomatic action by the Department of Foreign Affairs to address China’s baseless accusations.
“We must stand firm against China’s attempts to undermine our sovereignty. The Philippine government must prioritize the welfare and interests of our people, especially our fisherfolk who heavily rely on the resources in Scarborough Shoal,” Castro said.
In other developments:
* Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said marine research centers will soon be built in the islands of the WPS following the inclusion of funds for it in the P5.768 trillion 2024 General Appropriations Act. These research centers, he noted, will bolster the Philippines’s right to the islands in the WPS as well as its exclusive economic zone, as upheld in 2016 by the ruling of the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration.
* Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III dismissed the People’s Daily commentary as it was aimed at the Chinese people. He also said Filipinos should not be influenced by the position of others.
* Senator JV Ejercito renewed his call for China to stop following President Xi Jinping’s expansionist policies. “We hope that China honors the verdict of the Hague-based tribunal, constituted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which ruled that China’s claim of historical rights within its nine-dash line lacks any legal foundation,” he said. “We can only achieve peace and a sound relationship between China and the Philippines if both countries acknowledge each other’s maritime rights. In this case, it is essential to recognize that the West Philippines Sea belongs to us—the Philippines.”