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Ni ROMEO ALLAN BUTUYAN II
PARA kay House Deputy Majority Leader Erwin Tulfo, higit na angkop na pakialaman ng United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) ang lumalalang sitwasyon sa West Philippine Sea.
Sa isang pahayag, hinikayat din ni Tulfo ang administrasyong Marcos na atasan ang Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na maghain ng resolusyon sa UNGA para maglabas ng isang panawagan sa China para itigil ang agresyon at mga ilegal na aktibidad sa karagatang pasok sa 200-nautical mile Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone.
Sa inihain na House Resolution No. 1766, binigyan-diin ng ACT-CIS partylist congressman karapatan ng Pilipinas na igiit ang soberanya ang depensahan ang nasasakupang teritoryo alinsunod na rin aniya sa UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) at sa 2016 ruling ng Permanent Court of Arbitration.
“The landmark decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in Case No. 2013-19, known as Republic of the Philippines vs. People’s Republic of China, conclusively invalidated the Chinese government’s expansive claims under the so-called “nine dash line” declaring such to be incompatible with the provisions of the UNCLOS, thus upholding the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its EEZ and continental shelf in the WPS,” saad sa isang bahagi ng resolusyon.
Sa kabila ng pasya ng PCA, tila binalewala lang di umano ng China ang atas ng international court.
“China has steadfastly refused to acknowledge and comply with the arbitration award, persisting in its increasingly unlawful actions in the WPS, including the harassment of Philippine vessels and construction of artificial islands equipped with military installations, airstrips, and other strategic infrastructure within Philippine waters.”
“This year alone, aggressive maneuvers and water cannon attacks by Chinese vessels against the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Filipino fisherfolk underscore China’s blatant disregard for international law and the legal maritime rights of the Philippines, thereby diminishing our territorial integrity and compromising regional stability and
security,” dagdag pa niya.
Mayo 15, 2024 nang ihayag ng China ang “Regulations on Administrative Law Enforcement Procedures for Coast Guard Agencies,” na nagbibigay ng kapangyarihan sa Chinese Coast Guard na hulihin at ikulong sa loob ng 60-araw ang tinawag nilang “trespassers.”
“This further exacerbates the already volatile situation and poses a direct challenge to well-settled international maritime laws and principles,” ani Tulfo.
Ayon pa sa ranking House official, ang naturang resolusyon ay base na rin sa pahayag
ni Pangulong Marcos kamakailan, hinggil sa pagnanais ng bansa solusyunan ang problema sa WPS sa pamamagitan ng dialogue at diplomasya.
“In pursuit of the stance of the President before the international community, it is thus imperative for the Philippine Government, through the DFA, to assert its rights over the WPS and intensify diplomatic efforts to obtain international support against China’s unlawful acts,” diin ng kongresista.
Naniniwala rin ang ACT-CIS partylist lawmaker na ang pagdulog ng Pilipinas sa UN ay magbibigay-daan para maipatupad ang 2016 arbitral ruling.
