Gov't doing its job but needs additional resources to secure the WPS - Palace
Published Apr 17, 2019 05:10 pm
By Genalyn Kabiling
The government might have to deploy more coast guard personnel and purchase additional vessels to guard the West Philippine Sea, a Palace official said Wednesday in a bid to prevent entry of poachers in the area.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo (OPS / MANILA BULLETIN)
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the government was doing its job in protecting the marine environment but admitted that coast guards could not implement round-the-clock patrol over the vast territorial waters.
"You must remember that this is a vast ocean. You cannot just guard them 24 hours a day if you have only one or two. There might be a time when you’re there but they’re not there. When you leave the area, that’s the time they go on fishing or whatever that they do," Panelo said in a television interview.
"Maybe, perhaps, there is a need for an increased number of Coast Guards in that area. And the next question is: Do we have that many numbers? So if we don’t have that numbers, then we must purchase, maybe, vessels," he added.
A group of fishermen from Palawan and Zambales has asked the Supreme Court to compel the government to enforce environmental laws to prevent the damage in the islands located in the West Philippine Sea.
The fishermen, represented by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, sought the SC assistance to direct the government to protect and rehabilitate the environment in Panatag Shoal, Ayungin Shoal, and Panganiban Reef.
Earlier, the government promised to take legal action after local fishermen complained that Chinese vessels were harvesting giant clams from Panatag Shoal. Panelo said such action was considered an affront to the country’s sovereignty.
Panelo, meantime, has assured the nation that the government was "doing its job" in protecting the marine environment of the West Philippine Sea.
"The Coast Guards are there and then we have made diplomatic protest so I think we’re doing our job," he said.
"By putting Coast Guards there, you protect the environment. But the problem there is precisely there is a conflict in the disputed area and if you do something drastic as in armed enforcement it might provoke an armed conflict that might be too costly for us," he added.
Pursuing bilateral negotiations with China remains the "best avenue" to resolve any conflict in the West Philippine Sea, according to Panelo.
"I think the best is still negotiations. We can still talk this over. We can tell them ‘stop doing that,'" he said.
Asked what happens if China rejects the country's appeal, Panelo said: "Otherwise, we will be forced at the risk of an armed conflict, even if minimal."
For now, he said the government has taken a calibrated approach to dealing with the maritime dispute with China, while asserting the country's ownership of the West Philippine Sea.
"The position is very clear, our principled stand is: ‘This is ours’ - that particular area of conflict – ‘and we will not allow any intrusion into that,'" he said.
Asked if the Philippines considers China a true friend, Panelo said the country appreciates Beijing's assistance during the Marawi siege as well as their aid in advancing infrastructure projects and drug rehabilitation efforts.
"We are appreciative of what they’ve done. But again, we will repeat, we will remain steadfast with our sovereignty over the area of conflict," he said.
READ MORE: Fishermen ask SC to protect environment in three areas in West Philippine Sea
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo (OPS / MANILA BULLETIN)
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the government was doing its job in protecting the marine environment but admitted that coast guards could not implement round-the-clock patrol over the vast territorial waters.
"You must remember that this is a vast ocean. You cannot just guard them 24 hours a day if you have only one or two. There might be a time when you’re there but they’re not there. When you leave the area, that’s the time they go on fishing or whatever that they do," Panelo said in a television interview.
"Maybe, perhaps, there is a need for an increased number of Coast Guards in that area. And the next question is: Do we have that many numbers? So if we don’t have that numbers, then we must purchase, maybe, vessels," he added.
A group of fishermen from Palawan and Zambales has asked the Supreme Court to compel the government to enforce environmental laws to prevent the damage in the islands located in the West Philippine Sea.
The fishermen, represented by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, sought the SC assistance to direct the government to protect and rehabilitate the environment in Panatag Shoal, Ayungin Shoal, and Panganiban Reef.
Earlier, the government promised to take legal action after local fishermen complained that Chinese vessels were harvesting giant clams from Panatag Shoal. Panelo said such action was considered an affront to the country’s sovereignty.
Panelo, meantime, has assured the nation that the government was "doing its job" in protecting the marine environment of the West Philippine Sea.
"The Coast Guards are there and then we have made diplomatic protest so I think we’re doing our job," he said.
"By putting Coast Guards there, you protect the environment. But the problem there is precisely there is a conflict in the disputed area and if you do something drastic as in armed enforcement it might provoke an armed conflict that might be too costly for us," he added.
Pursuing bilateral negotiations with China remains the "best avenue" to resolve any conflict in the West Philippine Sea, according to Panelo.
"I think the best is still negotiations. We can still talk this over. We can tell them ‘stop doing that,'" he said.
Asked what happens if China rejects the country's appeal, Panelo said: "Otherwise, we will be forced at the risk of an armed conflict, even if minimal."
For now, he said the government has taken a calibrated approach to dealing with the maritime dispute with China, while asserting the country's ownership of the West Philippine Sea.
"The position is very clear, our principled stand is: ‘This is ours’ - that particular area of conflict – ‘and we will not allow any intrusion into that,'" he said.
Asked if the Philippines considers China a true friend, Panelo said the country appreciates Beijing's assistance during the Marawi siege as well as their aid in advancing infrastructure projects and drug rehabilitation efforts.
"We are appreciative of what they’ve done. But again, we will repeat, we will remain steadfast with our sovereignty over the area of conflict," he said.
READ MORE: Fishermen ask SC to protect environment in three areas in West Philippine Sea