FILE PHOTO: Around 220 Chinese militia vessels were spotted moored at Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea last March 7, 2021. (NTF WPS). REUTERS/11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters-Japan Coast Guard/Handout
MANILA, Philippines — A displeased Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday slammed the presence of 220 Chinese militia vessels in the West Philippine Sea, calling this latest incursion as a “severe provocation” on the part of China.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) earlier reported that 220 Chinese vessels believed to be “manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel” were spotted at the Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea.
Hontiveros said such acts of China came at a time when the country is grappling with the surge in COVID-19 pandemic.
“Habang nagkakandarapa pa tayo sa pagtaas ng mga kaso ng COVID-19 sa bansa, ang Tsina naman walang pakundangan ang pagsulong sa ating karagatan. (While we are having a hard time amid the rise of COVID-19 cases, China continues to go to our waters.),” she said in a statement.
“Not aggravating the tensions in our seas is the absolute least China could have done in the middle of a global pandemic. Respeto nalang sana, hindi pa maipakita. (They could have at least showed respect, yet still failed to do that),” she added.
Hontiveros likewise said that the presence of the Chinese vessels in Philippine territory does not build peace or stability in the region.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the Philippines has sent a diplomatic protest to China over its latest incursion in the WPS.
Hontiveros backed the filing of the protest, citing the environmental damage and the natural resources that could be further lost due to the presence of the vessels in the Julian Felipe Reef, which is within the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf.
“We have exclusive rights over the resources — fish, oil, and natural gas — in Julian Felipe Reef. Atin lang dapat iyan pero pilit na naman nang-aagaw ang Tsina ng mga bagay na hindi kanila. Nakakagalit. It’s maddening how China continues to snatch away our nation’s wealth while we’re in the depths of an economic crisis,” Hontiveros said.
In February 2021, Hontiveros calculated that China now owes Filipinos over P800 billion in marine damage and losses due to its adventurism in the WPS.
In April of the same year, the senator also filed Senate Resolution No. 369 demanding that China pay ₱200 billion worth of reparations, which could be used in the country’s fight against COVID-19.
“China really has no plans of recognizing and respecting the 2016 Hague ruling that favors our country. Hindi na nakakatuwa ang patuloy na panggagahasa ng ating likas-yaman. Mag-ipon na ang Tsina kasi magbabayad sila,” Hontiveros said. – Liezelle Soriano Roy, Trainee