Senator Francis Pangilinan on Sunday rejected China’s reported plan to declare Panatag Shoal, also known as Scarborough Shoal, as a marine nature reserve.
Pangilinan argued that the Philippines has exclusive rights over the area under both domestic and international law.
The shoal lies only 124 nautical miles, or about 220 kilometers, from the nearest Philippine coast in Zambales.
By comparison, it is roughly 472 nautical miles, or 875 kilometers, from China’s nearest shoreline in Hainan province.
The lawmaker also lamented that the Chinese presence in the area directly harms the environment and undermines the livelihood of Filipino fishermen.
“You are the ones destroying the environment there. Chinese fishermen are carrying out large-scale harvesting of endangered giant clams. To extract the shells, you are destroying and crushing the coral reefs of Panatag Shoal,” he said.
“You are also expanding your occupation through dredging and reclamation on several features near the shoal. You are damaging the reefs and marine life. Even your research vessels are disturbing the sensitive habitats of marine species,” Pangilinan added.
Environmental groups have repeatedly warned that reef destruction in the West Philippine Sea could cause long-term ecological losses.
Fisherfolk from Zambales and Pangasinan have complained of declining fish stocks due to restricted access to traditional fishing grounds.
Pangilinan said the environmental destruction alone costs the Philippines billions of pesos annually.
He argued that the damage extends beyond fisheries, threatening food security and local communities dependent on marine resources.
The shoal forms part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“As the rightful owner of Panatag Shoal, here is our message to China: Get out!” Pangilinan concluded.
