Defying China’s demand to take away a grounded Philippine vessel from the Ayungin [Second Thomas] Shoal, the Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday stated the BRP Sierra Madre is a everlasting navy station tasked to “protect and secure Philippine rights and interests” within the West Philippine Sea.
“The deployment of a Philippine military station in its own areas of jurisdiction is an inherent right of the Philippines and does not violate any laws,” Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tess Daza stated in a press release.
The BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded on the shoal since 1999.
The Philippines maintains a small navy presence there to protect the territory, which is 105.77 nautical miles from the closest Philippine province of Palawan and constitutes a part of the nation’s 200-nautical mile unique financial zone and continental shelf as offered underneath a United Nations conference.
Daza stated the Philippines determined in 1999 to deploy a everlasting station on Ayungin Shoal in response to China’s unlawful occupation of the Panganiban Reef, often known as Mischief Reef, a Philippine territory, in 1995.
“The BRP Sierra Madre is a commissioned vessel of the Philippine Navy that serves as a permanent station for Philippine military personnel deployed to protect and secure Philippine rights and interests in the West Philippine Sea, particularly in the Ayungin Shoal and its vicinity,” Daza stated.
The DFA additionally asserted that deployment of a Philippine navy station inside its jurisdiction is an inherent proper and didn’t violate any legal guidelines.
Additionally, the Philippine station on the Ayungin Shoal was established earlier than the conclusion of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties within the South China Sea in 2002 and subsequently didn’t violate the DOC.
The DFA additionally stated the shoal was a low-tide elevation and never topic to sovereignty claims or appropriation as established within the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration Award.
Violations of worldwide agreements
As for the resupply missions and restore of the Sierra Madre, the Foreign Affairs Department emphasised that these had been common operations carried out underneath home and worldwide regulation to make sure the security and well-being of Philippine navy personnel stationed there.
The DFA likewise strongly condemned the actions of the China Coast Guard on August 5, 2023, which obstructed official and common actions carried out by the Philippines inside its unique financial zone.
These actions had been violations of assorted worldwide agreements, together with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) from 1982, the 2016 Arbitration Award on the South China Sea, the 1972 COLREGS (International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea), and the 2002 ASEAN-China DOC (Declaration on the Conduct of Parties within the South China Sea).
The DFA reiterated that the 2016 Arbitral Award was primarily based on UNCLOS and confirmed its legality and binding nature.
As a state get together to UNCLOS, the DFA urged China to faithfully adhere to its obligations and commitments underneath the conference. — DVM/RSJ, GMA Integrated News
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
