Fishers’ group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) has filed three petitions urging the United Nations (UN) to act on the continued incursion of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea.
In their petitions, Pamalakaya called on the UN to declare the controversial China Coast Guard Law null and void and called for the demilitarization of the South China Sea.
The group has also urged the UN to look into the impacts of Chinese incursion to the livelihood of Filipino fishers and the domestic food security.
“With the increasing aggression and militarization of China in the West Philippine Sea through the passing of Coast Guard Law, we humbly appeal for your intervention by openly denouncing and declaring the law null and void,” the group stated.
Passed late January, the controversial law authorizes Chinese Coast Guard to fire at foreign vessels entering Chinese-claimed maritime territories in the South China Sea.
Pamalakaya scored China for its “relentless disregard” of the international tribunal’s ruling that invalidated Beijing’s claim over almost the entire South China Sea.
“Our petitions complement the very principles of the arbitral ruling against China,” Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya national chairperson said in a statement Sunday, May 2.
“These include the immediate pullout of Chinese personnel in our territorial waters, respect the rights of our fishers, and demilitarize our traditional fishing grounds,” he added.
The petitions, which were officially filed on April 30, were signed by five Pamalakaya officials and an official from science advocacy group Agham-UP Diliman. The petitions were addressed to U.N. Secretary General António Guterres.
Fernando pointed out that their appeal is “in the framework of upholding the basic rights to food and livelihood of our fisherfolk, who are the direct victims, and for the peaceful, diplomatic and non-military resolution to the Chinese aggression and plunder.”
The group noted that they decided to take a diplomatic measure by filing the petitions before the UN “due to lack of concrete and decisive actions from the Duterte government.”
“The Filipino fishers are tired of Mr. Duterte compromising our sovereignty in the name of foreign loans and now, vaccines,” Hicap said.
The fishers’ group said they were awaiting for the received copy of the petitions to take it at the Chinese Consulate alongside with a protest.