PH defense chief praised for calling out China's incursion in WPS

Opposition senators on Monday, April 5, praised Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for maintaining a strong position against the continued swarming of Chinese vessels in the West Philippines Sea (WPS).

"I commend Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and fully support his position on the matter. It is high time that the country as one nation stand up to China’s continued incursion in the West Philippine Sea," Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said in a text message sent to reporters.

"By all accounts, it is maritime bullying," he pointed out.

Drilon said the Philippines "must take a strong position" against the presence of China’s vessels in the West Philippine Sea and other areas within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

"The Philippine government should pursue, and strongly and actively call for, the enforcement of the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague," he also appealed.

Lorenzana issued last Saturday, April 3, a strongly-worded statement reiterating the Philippines' demand and told China to order the 44 Chinese vessels to leave the Julian Felipe Reef in the WPS.

Julian Felipe Reef is located about 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan, and is within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf.

"I am no fool. The weather has been good so far, so they have no other reason to stay there. These vessels should be on their way out. Umalis na kayo diyan (Leave)," Lorenzana said, apparently alluding to China's excuse that the vessels were seeking shelter near the reef due to "rough sea conditions."

The national task force on the WPS also recently found out that that majority of the 220 Chinese fishing vessels initially spotted at the Julian Felipe Reef did not leave the Philippines' EEZ, and were only dispersed in various areas of the WPS.

Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan also said he "fully support" Lorenzana's position on the matter.

"China should put an end to their dubious and illegal claim over our exlcusive economic zone and sovereign waters. China should get their militia out of Julian Felipe ," Pangilinan said.

China has insisted on its claim that the vessels flagged by Philippine national security officials were not maritime militia ships. It also maintained that the Julian Felipe Reef is part of its sweeping territorial claim over the South China Sea, which has already been invalidated by the United Nations' arbitral tribunal in 2016.