(Eagle News)–The Supreme Court on Friday, May 3, issued a writ to protect the marine environment in Panganiban Reef, Ayungin Shoal and Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
In a special en banc session, the SC granted the prayer for the issuance by members of the Kalayaan Palawan Farmers and Fisherfolk Association to “prevent violations of Philippine environmental laws” in the Philippine waters and in the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The petitioners had argued the government’s “inaction” on the activities of the Chinese in the contested areas were in violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, the Philippine Fisheries Code, and Presidential Decree No. 1586, which establishes the environmental impact statement system in the Philippines.
The petitioners also cited the July 12, 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration that found that the Ayungin Shoal and the Panganiban Reef were within the country’s EEZ and that Panatag Shoal, while it was within 200 nautical miles from the Philippines’ baseline, was the subject of a conflicting claim by China and the Philippines and therefore, it cannot categorically be declared as part of the EEZ.
The Arbitral Tribunal had also found, among others, that fishermen from Chinese-flagged vessels engaged in the harvesting of endangered species and in the harvesting of giant clams.
The petitioners had named as respondents the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Philippine National Police, the PNP Maritime Group and the Department of Justice.