House eyes more funds to protect Philippines maritime rights

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives is eyeing a higher allocation – including by tapping confidential and intelligence funds – for the protection and defense of the country’s maritime territory, especially in the West Philippine Sea.

“The Speaker and President Marcos instructed us to earmark funds, confidential and intelligence funds, to protect our area. Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to disclose that amount here, or give details because of the nature of our security there,” Rep. Zaldy Co said in an interview over dzRH radio.

“We will take care of that. It’s good that we have readily available funds for that. At least, it will not be zero,” Co, chairman of the House appropriations committee, said, referring to China’s provocative acts in the West Philippine Sea.

“Under the administration of President Marcos and Speaker (Martin) Romualdez, we assure you that funds will definitely be available specifically for that purpose,” he added.

Told in the interview of the need to upgrade the capability of the Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy, Co said: “Yes, definitely.”

“But I’m sorry if we cannot give details for those,” the lawmaker said.

He said the government may even just “copy” Beijing’s tact of deploying militia vessels disguised as civilian or fishing vessels.

“We will also do that now, and we’re prepared for that, that’s why we’re ready to load financial support for such endeavors,” the senior administration lawmaker said.

In a statement yesterday, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said the proposed amendments to the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992 or Republic Act 7227 are expected to bring benefits to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

“By further unlocking the potential of our economic zones, we would be able to continue contributing to the AFP modernization program and pursue replication projects for the military, fortify our collaboration with the AFP, as well as support the military pension fund, which is a priority of President Bongbong Marcos,” BCDA president and chief executive officer Joshua Bingcang said.

Under House Bill 8505, BCDA’s corporate term will be extended for another 50 years from its current remaining corporate life of 19 years.

The extension will enable BCDA to continue its mandate of helping beef up the AFP by supporting its modernization efforts.

The bill also seeks to increase the BCDA’s authorized capital to P400 billion from P100 billion.

In addition, it aims to convert five percent of BCDA’s economic zones to freehold status from leasehold.

BCDA estimates this provision would free up 1,856 hectares of land, which can potentially generate at least P400 billion worth of revenues.

Of the revenue to be generated, the BCDA said a portion may be earmarked for the military pension fund.

House Bill 8505 was passed on third reading last Aug. 22, while the Senate counterpart measure is currently being prepared for filing.

“The great sacrifices of our troops to ensure peace across the nation and safety of our fellowmen deserve the support it needs. As BCDA moves on to the next chapter, we will ensure that our commitments to the AFP are delivered on time and aligned according to the agreed timeline by all parties involved and that the right amount of remittances are declared,” BCDA chairman Delfin Lorenzana said.

Food blockade

Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph Recto, meanwhile, said China must be called out for the “food blockade” it set up in the West Philippine Sea, saying it constitutes a “crime against humanity.”

In a statement, Recto said that by cutting the country’s access to a “major protein source,” China is “playing a different kind of hunger games, making fish scarce for us, while satiating its people’s large appetite for seafood.”

“What China is doing is a big punch to our stomach. China must be called out for what it is really doing in the WPS: a food blockade that is a crime against humanity,” he pointed out.

Recto was reacting to the Chinese coast guard’s installing floating barriers in the southeast portion of Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal to prevent Filipino fishermen from entering the shoal.

The lawmaker added if harassing fishermen was a water sport in the Asian Games, “China will sweep all the medals.”

“It treats the entire WPS as its exclusive practice area.  And it has fenced off Bajo de Masinloc, claiming it as a backyard fishpond, and declaring it off limits to its true owners – the Filipinos,” he stressed.

Recto also said that some of the fish that China feeds its more than 1.4 billion citizens are “poached from Philippine waters,” and “vacuum-cleaned from our rich reefs.”

“The value of this stolen fish is in the billions of pesos, not annually, but monthly,” he said.

“The Chinese fishing militias help pull off this great ocean robbery, by serving the dual purpose of harassing Filipino boats and ships and by harvesting the bounty of the seas, both done in illegal and dangerous manners,” he added.

Citing data from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, he pointed out that the Philippines’ fish catch had dwindled to seven percent of total national fisheries production because of the Chinese blockade.

Irony

Recto added the “painful irony is that we buy fish from China – the very source of our discontent.”

By value, the lawmaker said that China is the number one source of Philippines’ imported fish, accounting for a robust one-third (32.92 percent ), valued at $247 million or about P12.145 billion in 2021.

By volume, China had a share of 30.58 percent or 158,088 metric tons of the 516,898 MT the Philippines imported during the same year.

“This means that from our imports from China, we can give almost 1.5 kilos of fish each and every Filipino,” he added.

“The question is: is this a case of balikbayan fish? It is caught here illegally, then sold back to us legally. If true, this is the worst kind of fish migration,” Recto maintained. — Sheila Crisostomo, Louella Desiderio