A PHILIPPINE think tank on Friday pressed National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año to back up his criticism of China’s plan to establish a “nature reserve” in Bajo de Masinloc shoal.
In its weekly media forum on Friday, Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute (ACPSSI) President Herman Tiu Laurel said Año presented a one-sided view when he described Beijing’s move as “ironic.”
“We are inviting Secretary Año to face us with our evidence, and he shows his evidence because he is talking to the Filipino public, too,” Tiu Laurel said.
Año had said China’s declaration to establish the “Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve” in the disputed shoal was ironic, because since 2016, evidence had shown Chinese fishermen had carried out large-scale harvesting of endangered species and reef destruction in Bajo de Masinloc.
He said Beijing’s record of ecological damage undermined its claim of environmental stewardship over the shoal.
Tiu Laurel said Año was presenting a selective account. He said ACPSSI had documented for at least five years widespread coral destruction and giant clam harvesting not only by Chinese but also by Filipino fishermen.
“We have it on record — many headlines in Philippine media itself. We have also the records of The New York Times recording the destruction of corals through cyanide and dynamite fishing, especially by Filipino fishermen,” he said.
Tiu Laurel added that Año could raise the issue before international bodies, but stressed that evidence of destructive practices was not confined to China.
He also argued that Beijing had demonstrated responsibility in resource management by imposing an annual fishing ban on its massive fleet.
He further suggested that China’s control of the shoal justified its presence there, citing Beijing’s recent diplomatic moves. “Last December, China has already submitted to the United Nations to render its occupation of Scarborough Shoal,” he said, referring to Bajo de Masinloc by its other name.
China’s State Council said the reserve was meant to “maintain the diversity, stability and sustainability of the natural ecosystem of Huangyan Island.”
Last Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced it filed a diplomatic protest, calling the Chinese declaration an “illegitimate and unlawful action” that “clearly infringes upon the rights and interests of the Philippines in accordance with international law.”
Bajo de Masinloc, a chain of reefs and rocks, has been a flash point between Manila and Beijing since 2012, when China seized control of the area.
The DFA said the shoal is “a long-standing and integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction,” and stressed that only Manila has the authority to designate protected areas in its territory and maritime zones.
The Philippines urged Beijing to “refrain from enforcing and immediately withdraw” the State Council issuance, while reiterating its call for China to abide by the 1982 United Nations 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.
Año warned that the nature reserve plan could be a pretext for occupation. “This move by [China] is less about protecting the environment and more about justifying its control over a maritime feature that is part of the territory of the Philippines and its waters lie within the exclusive economic zone. It is a clear pretext toward eventual occupation,” he said.
On Friday, Sen. Risa Hontiveros urged Malacañang to summon Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian over China’s nature reserve plan.
Hontiveros said the Philippine government should demand an end to any plans of constructing a so-called marine nature reserve in Bajo de Masinloc.
“This is a desperate attempt to cement illegal occupation in Philippine territory,” Hontiveros said in a statement.
Hontiveros insisted that Bajo de Masinloc is Philippine territory, “legally, historically and morally.”
“The 2016 arbitral ruling under Unclos affirmed our rights within our Exclusive Economic Zone. No amount of dredging, building or bullying can erase this fact,” she said.
Hontiveros said the government “must pull out all stops,” noting that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “has repeatedly said that the Philippines will not cede one inch of our territory.”
Hontiveros said she recently filed Senate Resolution 85, urging the executive department to make China pay over P300 billion in damages for the destruction of Philippine natural resources.
