The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Saturday confirmed it already filed a diplomatic protest against China’s planned establishment of “Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve” at Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc).
“The Department filed a protest yesterday, which is a strong, unequivocal, and formal articulation of (Philippine) objections to the CHN action,” DFA spokesperson Angelica Escalona said in a message to reporters.
The Chinese government on Wednesday announced its approval to establish a national nature reserve at the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
The following day, the Foreign Affairs Department emphasized that the Philippines also has the exclusive authority to establish environmental protection areas over its territory and relevant maritime zones.
“The Philippines strongly protests the recent approval by the State Council of China of the establishment of the so-called ‘Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve.’ Bajo de Masinloc is a longstanding and integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction,” the DFA said.
It also urged China to respect the Philippines’ sovereignty and jurisdiction over Bajo de Masinloc and comply with its obligations under international law, noting the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the final and binding 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
