From what we hear, the meeting that took place between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and former president Rodrigo Duterte last Wednesday was very good and cordial, and one of the issues discussed was the recent meeting of former president Duterte with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Beijing last July 17.
President Bongbong had earlier expressed hopes that the meeting between President Xi and the former president would include the recent developments in the West Philippine Sea. The President was clever to recognize that the rapport between Xi and his predecessor could be another open line of communication in finding ways to resolve issues in a peaceful manner. It seems the former president is confident enough in his relationship with Xi to ask China to “look kindly to the Philippines” on the WPS issue, as told by Senate President Migz Zubiri.
While a lot of people agree that continued engagement with China would be helpful, there is no denying the fact that an extremely large percentage of Filipinos are angered over the unrelenting harassment by Chinese Coast Guard vessels, shadowing and blocking Philippine Coast Guard ships on supply missions and harassing Filipino fishermen who said they feel like thieves in their own territory, chased away and deprived of their livelihood.
This is why the adoption of Senate Resolution 718 principally authored by Senate President Zubiri and Senator Risa Hontiveros condemning the continued harassment of Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea and the persistent incursions by Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels reverberates very well and is getting strong support from Filipinos.
“We have to show them how angry we are at what they are doing in our territory,” Senate President Migz said in a recent interview, adding that the Senate has to make a stand on issues regarding national sovereignty.
“The reckless, unrepentant and continuous incursion of Chinese vessels into the heart of the West Philippine Sea strikes at the very core of our nation’s sovereignty, the integrity of our country’s maritime zones and the rights of our people,” Senator Risa said in her sponsorship speech to an earlier resolution that has been merged with SR 718.
The statements of SP Migz and Senator Risa articulate the sentiments of many Filipinos who are dismayed at the relentless incursions, harassment and aggression displayed by China despite professions that it wants peace, and the continuing disregard for the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling that there was “no legal basis” for China to claim “historic rights” to resources within the sea areas falling within the so-called nine-dash line.
A lot of Filipinos see SP Migz and Senator Risa as patriots, so it is no wonder why there is growing admiration for these legislators as evidenced by the results of surveys conducted by independent groups.
In the recent survey conducted by the Institute of Popular Opinion of the University of Mindanao, Senator Hontiveros had an 83 percent awareness rating and came out as “the most trusted” senator in Davao City – which is no mean feat considering that she did not win in the city during the May 2022 elections and had a negative 30 trust rating in a June 2022 survey. An independent “Boses ng Bayan” survey released by the RP-Mission and Development Foundation recently showed Senate President Migz with an approval rating of 69 percent. Under his leadership, the Senate has been getting record high trust and satisfaction ratings.
China’s claims run contrary to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the resolution read – which is also what other nations have expressed in their submissions to the United Nations.
The resolution urged the government to take appropriate action in asserting and securing the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, and one of the options presented to address China’s incursions is the filing of a resolution before the UN General Assembly (UNGA) calling on the cessation of all activities that harass Philippine vessels.
As reiterated by former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who was a key figure in the maritime case filed at the PCA against China, the “locus of world opinion is the UNGA.” No country would like to be considered an outcast in the community of nations, which is why if one wants to influence world opinion, the UNGA is where you start, he said.
The Philippines is also open to working together with like-minded nations – even those that have overlapping maritime claims – to ensure maritime peace and security. The Philippines and Vietnam signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2016 covering several fronts, including defense and maritime security. Both are now stepping up cooperation amid growing security threats in the region, recognizing that disputes must be managed and resolved peacefully in accordance with international law, including the UNCLOS and the 2016 PCA ruling. Both also want to speed up the creation of an effective Code of Conduct, which is still the best option to reduce the risk of conflict in the South China Sea.
The Philippines and Indonesia also have a 2014 “delimitation agreement” that took effect in 2019. In October 2022, both countries signed the principles and guidelines outlining their continental shelf boundaries since both have overlapping exclusive economic zones. President Marcos described the agreement with Indonesia as a template that can be presented to the ASEAN and can also be done with other nations.
When all is said and done, we must continue to hope that issues with China will still be resolved in a peaceful manner – as civilized nations should.
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