Features in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) still belong to the Philippines, ACT-Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro told Palawan 2nd district Rep. Jose Alvarez after he insinuated that some of the islands in the area were no longer under Philippine control.
During her interpellation of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) budget on Tuesday night, Sept. 27, Castro cited two studies on the marine life in the WPS and asked for the agency’s reaction.
First, science advocacy group Agham found that the Philippines was losing P1.3 trillion a year over coral reef destruction due to China’s island-building and poaching activities in the WPS.
Second, the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute estimated that the Philippines was losing P33.1 billion annually because of damaged reef ecosystems in the Panatag or Scarborough shoal.
Alvarez–the sponsor of DENR’s budget in the plenary debates on the P5.268-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB)–responded by saying that the Philippines had lost control of the maritime territory because the country had not established its own settlements there.
“I agree with you na nasisira po ang ating karagatan at sa ilalim ng dagat sa WPS. Kita ko po ng dalawang mata ko na yung nasisirang corals doon sa WPS ay hindi po dahil sa reclamation at pag-claim ng China sa ibang isla na dati ay atin (I’ve seen with my own eyes that the destroyed corals in the WPS are not a result of China’s reclamation and claim over the islands which were once ours). The loss of our islands in the WPS is attributable, number one, through our own fault. Hindi tayo naglagay ng (We didn’t establish our own) settlement,” Alvarez said.
Castro, being the educator that she is, pointed out that Alvarez's claim that the islands in the WPS were no longer under Philippine’s control was incorrect.
“Gusto ko lang i-korek ang ating distinguished sponsor. Sa atin pa rin po ito na ninanakaw, nag-e-encroach ang China sa ating likas na yaman na sa atin talaga. Under pa rin ito ng exclusive economic zone (EEZ) na kung meron lang talagang political will ang ating gobyerno, ay talagang ipaglalaban natin ito para sa ating kapwang Filipino (I just want to correct the sponsor. The territories remain ours, they were stolen from us, China is encroaching on our natural resources. These are still under our EEZ and if our government had the political will, they would fight for it, for our fellow Filipinos),” Castro clapped back.
Alvarez clarified that while the territory belonged to the Philippines "on paper", the country had no capabilities of enforcing its sovereignty.
“Talagang atin yon sa papel. Wala po tayong kakayahan upang sabihin doon sa mga nag-occupy sa ating isla na ‘Alis dyan’ (It's really ours on paper. We just do not have the capabilities to tell the occupants ‘Get out’)!” he said, referring to the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that nullified China’s expansive claims over the South China Sea, which include the WPS.
Castro doubled down on her position and even cited a quote made by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in which he defended the country’s sovereignty over the WPS.
“Sa atin yung lahat ng karapatan na ma-claim natin yan (We have all the right to claim this territory),” she said.
Marcos, during his visit to New York on Sept. 24, said that “The position that the Philippines takes is that we have no territorial conflict with China. What we have China claiming territory that belongs to the Philippines.”