WE STAND in solidarity with the Department of National Defense which has rejected statements by China characterizing legal and legitimate Philippine operations near Bajo de Masinloc as “a self-directed farce.”
Such impudent comment, to say the least.
First, where is Bajo de Masinloc? Also called the Scarborough Shoal, the triangular coral atoll is approximately 120 to 124 nautical miles (roughly 220–230 kilometers) west of Luzon, and sits within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and is part of the municipality of Masinloc, Zambales.
Bajo de Masinloc is part of the Kalayaan Island Group’s surrounding waters and is approximately 448 to 472 nautical miles from the nearest coast of China (Hainan Province).
We underline the Philippine position, articulated by the Department of National Defense, that Manila’s operations in the waters round Bajo de Masinloc “are lawful, routine, and conducted in the exercise of the country’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction under international law.”
We support and agree with the DND’s statement that “The real farce is the act of calling for peaceful engagement, while the fully armed and heftily funded People’s Liberation Army (Navy) is harassing our fisherfolks who are merely trying to make a living in their traditional fishing grounds.
“It is also not surprising that the government of the People’s Republic of China is assailing the Philippines’ transparency strategy. After all, transparency is abhorred by those who twist the truth and manipulate narratives to legitimize their unlawful acts and baseless claims.
“The PRC’s illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities in the West Philippine Sea are accurately documented and communicated to the public.”
The Philippines has always asserted that it has continuous and uninterrupted sovereignty over Bajo de Masinloc, well within the country’s 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf.
Ten years ago on July 12, a tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled that China’s “nine-dash line” claim to historic rights has no legal basis, invalidating its claims to the shoal.
The tribunal classified the feature as a rock and recognized it as a traditional fishing ground for Filipino fishermen.
We add our voice to the DND’s statement that China is to blame “for the world’s growing awareness of the cognitive illusion that it is trying to create in order to cover up the reputational damage it is inflicting upon itself.”
