In light of the recent incident of China’s persistent grey zone operations in the West Philippine Sea, Democracy Watch Philippines reiterates its stand for the rule of law in the disputed waters. By this, Democracy Watch upholds the 1982 United Nations Convention on for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other pertinent international laws and accords that promote and defend a rules-based maritime order, and the Arbitrary Ruling of 2016 that nullified and debunked the incredible nine-dash line claim of China.
Democracy Watch condemns the aggressive maritime expansionism of China, which has not only deprived the thousands of fisherfolks of sustainable livelihood from the littoral states along the South China Sea but harassed them as well, directly putting them in harm’s way.
Further, we equally deplore all the unlawful activities of China’s militia and coast guard ranging from illegal fishing, environmental destruction, construction of artificial features, and incursions in the territorial jurisdiction of other states.
We laud the Stratbase ADR Institute in recently hosting a virtual townhall discussion entitled “Maintaining a Rules-Based Maritime Order.” As part of the “ADRi Foreign Policy Forum: Indo-Pacific Discussion Series,” the virtual program discussed the extent of China’s persistent gray zone operations and their impact on a state’s foreign policy and defense posture. It also sought to publicize “how like-minded states can establish cooperative governance to maintain a rules-based order while also minimizing retaliation from opposing states, including capacity development, national-level regulatory amendments, or a framework for regional maritime governance.”
Democracy Watch strongly supports Prof. Dindo Manhit’s (President, Stratbase ADR Institute) statement that we must protect our territory and that, “Filipinos should realize that we are not alone in our fight to maintain the freedom of the seas and uphold the rule based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region.”
We agree with former Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on his statement that given China’s destructive expansionist agenda, “the nations of the world must unite to strongly push back China, otherwise if China succeeds in taking the South China Sea, or in making the South China Sea its own national lake, denying the application of UNCLOS in the South China Sea, then UNCLOS will collapse for other naval powers will also seize their new seas as their own possessions. That will mean that the demise of UNCLOS and the end of a rules-based maritime order, that will mean the beginning of a maritime order created and enforced by naval guns and the entrenchment of the ‘might is right’ concept.”
Democracy Watch calls on the current administration to stop appeasing China and refrain from the habitual understatement of China’s obvious mal-intent in the West Philippine Sea. We must rightfully claim, and protect our stake in the islands of our seas.
Furthermore, we must all commend the actions of Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr., as they continue to uphold our national interest amidst the persisting incursions of the Chinese in our EEZ.
In this battle for the West Philippine Sea, we would like to finally reassert our stand for Philippine territorial integrity and sovereignty amidst the expansionist onslaught of China; promote the forging of alliances between like-minded states in the ASEAN and Indo-Pacific regions, aspire for the maintenance of a rules-based maritime order in the Indo-Pacific region, and advocate for the sustainable livelihood of all fisherfolks in the South China Sea.