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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DFA to 'vigilantly' monitor West PH Sea

DFA to 'vigilantly' monitor West PH Sea

Published Jan 24, 2023 01:05 pm

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has warned against those that will try to encroach the Philippine waters that it will "vigilantly" monitor any developments in the West Philippine Sea, especially after the recent in-person discussion between President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The agency made the statement on Tuesday, Jan. 24, after Filipino fishers in the Ayungin Shoal were reportedly driven away by the Chinese coast guard. The incident was taken in a video posted on Facebook on Jan. 20.

"The Department awaits the official reports from the military and our law enforcement agencies on the China Coast Guard's (CCG) actions to force Filipino fishermen in Ayungin Shoal to leave the area," DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said.

Daza added that the reports will then serve as the basis for a diplomatic action to be taken by the government.

DFA asserted the Philippines' rights over the Ayungin Shoal, which is part of the country's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.

It said that the Philippines "is entitled to exercise sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the area, without any intervention from another country."

"Filipino fishermen are free to exercise their rights and take whatever they are due under Philippine and international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award," the agency said.

"Furthermore, the Philippines has established a permanent presence on Ayungin Shoal in 1995 with the actively commissioned Philippine naval vessel, the BRP Sierra Madre," it added.

On Monday, Marcos expressed hope that the incident would reach Xi, who recently vowed to find a "compromise" in the plight of Filipino fishers in the West Philippine Sea, a part of the bigger South China Sea still being claimed by China despite an arbitral ruling.

Related Tags

DFA chinese coast guard AYUNGIN SHOAL West Philippine Sea filipino fishers
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