DFA calls on maritime sector to support legal action vs China

MANILA, Philippines - The government on Friday sought the support of the country's maritime sector to the initiation of arbitration proceedings against China stemming from territorial disputes between Manila and Beijing.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said its Ocean Concerns Office under the Office of the Undersecretary for Special and Ocean Concerns (DFA-OCO/OUSOC) hosted the 84th Maritime Breakfast Forum hat provided a venue to rally the maritime sector of the Philippines to all stand united as one before the whole world to manifest full support for the leadership of President Benigno S. Aquino III in finding a peaceful and durable solution to the dispute with China  on the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The 84th MBF is a regular event of the Maritime League, a non-governmental organization of public and private sector agencies and business enterprises in the maritime industry. 

Headed by its Chairman and President, Commodore Carlos L. Agustin AFP (ret.), the Maritime League gathers the stakeholders in the maritime industry, including business corporations in shipping, shipbuilding, ship manning, fishing, ship survey and government maritime agencies such as Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Philippine Navy (PN), and DFA-OCO/OUSOC in providing policy recommendations on maritime issues.  It has been the practice of the Maritime League for the DFA, through the Ocean Concerns Office (OCO), to host the first MBF in January of every year.

Assistant Secretary for Ocean Concerns Gilberto Asuque gave a presentation on the arbitral proceedings, which were initiated by the Philippines on Tuesday with the presentation of the Notification and Statement of Claim to the Chinese Embassy in Manila.    He added that the legal action is an operationalization of  the president's policy for a peaceful, durable and rules-based resolution of disputes in the WPS in accordance with international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Asuque said that in the arbitral proceedings, the Philippines asserts that China’s nine-dash line claim on almost the entire South China Sea is contrary to international law, particularly UNCLOS, and a violation of Philippine sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Philippine 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf in the WPS.  In the Statement of Claim, the Philippines requests the arbitral tribunal to require China to desist from activities that violate the rights of the Philippines in its maritime domain in the WPS.

"Assistant Secretary Asuque reiterated the call of the DFA for all Filipinos to stand behind the President to defend what is ours in accordance with the Philippine Constitution, firmly demonstrate our patriotism, and show unity before the whole world to manifest the President’s leadership on this issue," the DFA said.

The 84th MBF also heard the presentations by the Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), MARINA, Metro Manila Shipyard Association, the Philippine Registry of Ships and the Asian Workboat 2013 exhibition in Singapore.