A Philippine Navy official said the service is fully supporting the government’s plan to file new petitions against China’s aggression in the South China Sea before the United Nations.
Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, spokesperson, Philippine Navy for the West Philippine Sea, said they support the government’s plan as a reaction to Chinese harassment.
“The government has been receiving advice to file new petitions aginst China before the UN for their ongoing harassment and it is considering this China instead is telling us not to but talk instead, ” Trinidad said In an interview with Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday.
The navy official said he believes that whatever issues there are between the two countries should be brought to a court of law.
“If it were up to me, we should file a petition. Because China is afraid of us filing it. They would be embarrassed by it,” Trinidad added.
Former Supreme Court Justice Francis Jardeleza has advocated filing a second arbitral case against China in the West Philippine Sea, specifically for destruction of the environment in seven reefs.
“Among the main conclusions of the arbitral tribunal award of July 2016 was that China caused, through its land reclamation and construction of artificial islands, installations, and structures, severe, irreparable harm to the coral reef system at Mischief Reef, Cuarteron Reef, Firefly Cross Reef, Gaven Reef (North), Johnson Reef, Hughes Reef, and Subi Reef,” said Jardeleza who was solicitor general when the Philippines filed the case against China in 2013.
“There is nothing therefore for us to prove insofar as the arbitral court is concerned because we have shown that China has caused irreparable harm to the coral reef system in seven reefs and destroyed their natural condition… We have different views of how much the damage is. The important thing is we should collate all of these,” he said.
Jardeleza explained that for 17 years before the 2016 arbitral award, the Philippines relied on diplomatic protests. He pointed out that the initial case did not include claims for environmental damages. With Rachelle Tonelada
