Opposition Senator Leila de Lima said the West Philippine Sea should be among the top priority issues that all candidates in the upcoming May 2022 national elections.
At the same time, De Lima said Filipinos should help defend the country’s sovereign rights by electing candidates who can assert and fight for the country’s territory, particuarly the West Philippine Sea.
"Hindi dapat mawala sa diskurso ang usapin ng (We should never forget discussions on the) West Philippine Sea. Gawin natin itong normal na bahagi ng pang-araw-araw na usapin, katulad ng trabaho, pabahay, pagkain, kalusugan (Let’s make it a normal part of our day-to-day discussions, like jobs, housing, food and health issues),” De Lima said in a statement.
“Buhay at kabuhayan ng ating mga kasamang mangingisda ang nakasalalay dito; kinabukasan ng ating mga anak, nating lahat (The life and livelihood of our fishermen are at stake here; the future of our children are also at stake here),” she added.
“Dahil dito, kailangang malinaw din sa taumbayan ang paninindigan ng ating mga kandidato pagdating sa usapin ng WPS (Because of this, the people should know the stand of our candidates in the issue on the WPS),” she reiterated.
De Lima made the call after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that the Chinese Coast Guard vessels blocked and used water-cannons against Filipino boats that were supposed to resupply BRP Sierra Madre, a ship grounded at the Ayungin Shoal last Nov. 16.
Ayungin Shoal is well within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the BRP Sierra Madre was intentionally grounded within the area to serve as an outpost of the Philippine Navy.
"China fired water cannons on our supply ships, bringing supplies to our Philippine Navy outpost established well within our Exclusive Economic Zone, and its No. 1 lackey is running for the Senate," she lamented.
“To be clear, the Arbitral Tribunal Award of June 2016 has ruled that China's so-called '9-dash line' had no basis, historically or legally,” she added.
De Lima warned there is a possibility of a “total blockade of our own territory” should voters vote on candidates that favor a pro-China foreign policy in 2022.
“While this is not the first time that China attempted to block supplies for our soldiers in the Ayungin Shoal, it has now taken a more aggressive attempt to assert its fallacious claim in the West Philippine Sea,” she also noted.
De Lima, a vocal critic of President Duterte, who is seeking a Senate seat in the upcoming May 2022 polls, reminded voters the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) has already found no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to a “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea, but China refused to honor the ruling issued on July 12, 2016.
The PCA also recognized the Philippines’ special rights and jurisdiction as a coastal sovereign state under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) regarding exploration, use and preservation of marine resources, including energy production from water and wind in the areas within its EEZ in the WPS.
The lawmaker reiterated filing diplomatic protest each time China goes on a bullying rampage would not work to resolve the dispute.
“What we need is political will to defend our sovereignty and tell China to back off. We cannot afford another six years of subservience and servility, in the guise of a long and abiding friendship,” she pointed out.