Cartoon by James Gamboa
Published by: Marino Peralta
Date Published: April 29, 2024
Time Published: 8:30 AM
The Philippines is a country known for having 1,019 bodies of water. One of them is the West Philippine Sea, part of the country's exclusive economic zone, as designated by the government of the Philippines. The question is, what will happen if someone dares to take it and claim what is rightfully ours?
The ongoing tension between China and the Philippines has led to several maritime run-ins. The territorial disputes have been ongoing for years and have escalated to the illegal and unlawful establishment of infrastructure within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) [1].
With this, China is already marking our territory and claiming that the West Philippine Sea belongs to them, effectively abolishing Filipino's rights to claim the sea and its resources when in fact, it belongs to us Filipinos and is actually proven by law. The Philippines has the legitimate right or legal basis to claim and defend the West Philippine Sea. It is very unlawful to make an illegal presence in our waters to scare and drive away our fellow Filipino fishermen, effectively eliminating their rights to fish in our own sea. China's actions not only violate international law, but they also compromise our country's relationship and alliance with them.
On the contrary, China's claim has no legal basis. This has been proven by an international arbitration tribunal in the Hague, whose decision was overturned by Beijiing [2]. China's seizure of territory or claim to our property is an ignorant and illogical thing to do. Their greed and aggression towards the West Philippine Sea will only result in many conflicts.
The tension between the country escalated more because of China's recent attack. It was reported by Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard, that China has been threatening Filipino fishermen by pretending to man their water cannon [3]. China's threat resulted in panic and fear among Filipino fishermen, making them feel vulnerable and powerless.
Greed will only lead to unwanted complications. People should keep in mind that violence is not always the solution. It would be great if the issue could be resolved without the use of force or violence. In order to protect our Filipino fishermen, we should urge our government to take action as they should seek diplomacy to address the said issue. Let's stand up for our territory by continuing to act responsibly—to maintain peace with the help of international law against China's unlawful attack. Let's also provide factual evidence against them, to expose their behavior and unlawful maritime activities. With this, it will raise public awareness that will help us gain support from our neighboring countries. Defending our rights with the help of our resources is what we should do right now. Using our voice to protect our property and letting the facts speak for themselves is the most suitable action that we can take at the moment.
REFERENCES:
[1] Wong, A.C. (2024, April 19). Philippines-China Relations: Beyond the territorial disputes. Foreign Service Institute Government Ph. https://fsi.gov.ph/philippines-china-relations-beyond-the-territoral-disputes/
[2] JOVILAND RITA,GMA Integrated News & JOVILAND RITA, GMA Integrated News. (2024, April 12). China: PH-US Mutual Defense Treaty will not move us a bit. GMA News Online. https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/903463/china-ph-us
[3] Jazeera, A. (2024, April 6). Philippines flags ‘harassment’ by Chinese vessels ahead of Japan, US drills. Al Jazeera.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/6/philippines-flags-harassment-by-chinese-vessels-ahead-of-japan-us-drills
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