MANILA, PIA – The Palace on Tuesday said that the Department of National Defense (DND) is monitoring China’s latest activity in the West Philippine Sea.
“Mino-monitor po ng ating Department of National Defense (DND) ang mga pangyayaring ‘yan at patuloy pa rin naman tayo sa ating advocacy na dapat ay walang mga kilos na ganyan,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said during the daily press briefing in Malacañang.
“Dapat panatilihin ang status quo habang tinatalakay pa sa ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) ang Code of Conduct of parties involved in the maritime entitlement claims sa South China Sea o West Philippine Sea,” he added.
Secretary Coloma maintained that China’s reclamation activities in the disputed territories are in violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea.
“Mayroon pong mataas na kamalayan ang daigdig hinggil dito. Pati ang ibang mga stakeholder countries sa Southeast Asia at East Asia ay nagpahayag na rin ng kanilang pagkabahala sa mga ginagawang aksyon na ‘yan at hindi naman po tayo nag-iisa doon sa panawagan na dapat itigil ang mga gawaing ito,” he said.
According to news reports, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said that China was undertaking “necessary” construction at the South China Sea that was not aimed at any third party.
On March 30 last year, the Philippines filed a memorial at the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) against China regarding its reclamation activities.
The Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are laying claim to parts of the potentially resource-rich West Philippine Sea. (PCOO/PND (ag)
