Tsinoys urged: Serve as bridge in West Philippine Sea

MANILA, Philippines — The Filipino-Chinese community has a significant role in de-escalating tensions and resolving the conflict in the West Philippine Sea, in which they could serve as a “bridge” between China and the Philippines, according to Senate President Francis Escudero. 

“I request and pray that you serve as a bridge in the raging and apparently angry ocean that we call the West Philippine Sea, between our country and China, so that any misunderstanding can be resolved and put aside,” he said, drawing inspiration from Simon and Garfunkel’s song “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” 

“The role that FFCCCII (Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc.) and Filipino-Chinese communities can play is big and wide,” he noted. 

Escudero made the statement on June 7 during the celebration of the 23rd Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day and the 49th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the Philippines and China. 

The FFCCCII hosted the event. 

Escudero is optimistic that the West Philippine Sea conflict will be resolved peacefully. 

“The misunderstanding and conflict between China and the Philippines are just a dot in our shared history. In other words, we will pass and overcome this,” he said. 

He recalled historical ties dating back to the 9th century, long before the arrival of Spanish and American colonizers in the Philippines. 

“The roots and history between our two countries are deep. We’ve had (more than one) thousand years of ties and relations, whether cultural or economic, between our countries and we have not fought over anything,” he added. 

“In the whole world right now, as we speak, there are 150 conflicts and misunderstandings related to territory... No one wants war, no one wants to clash,” he noted. 

Escudero hoped that West Philippine Sea tensions would “cool down” and “any misunderstandings will subside and whatever challenges or trials we will face in the coming weeks and months related to this will be overcome as a nation and as a race.” 

Mutual respect and dialogue are crucial to overcome the conflict, he said. 

Asean coast guards 

A common stand against China’s “self-set rules” has been recommended by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). 

The draft of the proposed Southeast Asia Protocol on Engagements at Sea between Coast Guards and Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies (SEA-PEACE) has been presented to officials who attended the June 5-8 ASEAN Coast Guard Forum (ACF) in Davao. 

SEA-PEACE aims to craft a common protocol that would be followed by ACF members to stop the China Coast Guard from deviating from international regulations and acting on its own, according to PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan. 

“The SEA-PEACE is hoped to shape common norms in coast guard operations based on UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and IMO (International Maritime Organization) Conventions,” he noted. 

Brunei and Timor-Leste did not attend the four-day ACF. 

Imee: Review MDT 

The Philippines’ mutual defense treaty with the US must be reviewed and the “gray zone” must be defined amid China’s aggressions in the West Philippine Sea, according to Sen. Imee Marcos. 

“The US is our ally, let’s talk to America. Let’s help because the MDT was signed long ago and it’s unclear because it is in the context of the Cold War. During the Cold War, there was really an invasion, but the war is not like that now,” she said. 

“What China was doing could not be called an armed attack under the MDT, it’s just a gray zone. The question that we must ask Americans is, what is the scope of the armed attack here?” she pointed out. 

Marcos lamented that the Malacañang and the Departments of Foreign Affairs and National Defense were taking different approaches to handling the conflict.

Shared ecosystem 

The West Philippine Sea should be a shared ecosystem where countries have a “shared responsibility” for the conservation and sustainable use of seas and oceans, an environmental group proposed yesterday. 

By adopting a shared stewardship model, claimant countries can ensure the preservation of marine ecosystems, safeguard the livelihoods of coastal communities and promote peace and stability in the region, said Makakalikasan Nature Party Philippines secretary Rommel Ortega. 

Maritime zones 

Rep. Rufus Rodriguez yesterday urged President Marcos to sign the Maritime Zones bill. 

“The measure’s enactment will boost our assertion of our maritime and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea and our exclusive economic zone, which China frequently intrudes into. It will reinforce the enforcement of such rights by our defense-military forces,” he said. 

The proposed measure would serve as a framework for settling territorial disputes between the country and its neighbors, including China. 

Its definition of the country’s maritime territory includes the Chinese-occupied Scarborough or Panatag Shoal off Zambales and Pangasinan, a traditional Filipino fishing ground. — Evelyn Macairan, Bella Cariaso, Sheila Crisostomo