Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Facebook)

A solon who has consistently called out China for its bullying in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) has told the regional giant that it has no right to reject a resolution of the House of Representatives condemning their "illegal” activities in the area. 

Cagayan de Oro City 2nd district Rep. Rufus Rodriguez had this to say Sunday, Dec. 10 had this to say in reaction to a Chinese foreign ministry statement criticizing House Resolution (HR) No. 1494, which the chamber adopted last week. 

“It is our prerogative to express our collective sense on continued Chinese intrusion and encroachment on our maritime waters, and their persistent harassment and bullying of our navy, coast guard and fishermen. No country can deny us that,” said Rodriguez, considered a legal luminary in the House. 

The resolution slams China’s “illegal actions” in the WPS and urges the government "to assert and protect the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)". 

Rodriguez said based on the arbitral court ruling, China’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, including the WPS, have no legal basis. 

“They cannot insist on owning areas that are inside our 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), like Ayungin Shoal and Recto Bank in Palawan, and Scarborough or Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc off Zambales and Pangasinan, which China seized in 2012,” he said. 

The Mindanaoan said Beijing is standing firm “on this baseless narrative on the strength of might and not of reason.” 

He added that China should not call for “negotiations and consultations” to resolve maritime disputes “because we already tried those modes during the previous administration but they failed". 

“We should not negotiate with a frenemy that is frequently intruding in our backyard, and repeatedly harassing and bullying us,” the Mindanao lawmaker stressed. 

In HR No. 1494, the House said, "In clear violation of the Arbitral Award, China has built artificial islands in various parts of the West Philippine Sea fortified with airstrips, military installations, hardware, and equipment and has militarized at least three of those artificial islands, arming them with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missile systems, laser and jamming equipment and fighter jets.” 

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It noted that the country, "being a firm believer and advocate of the Rule of Law, and despite the continued harassment of China, has resorted to diplomatic tools to address Chinese aggression, including the filing of over 400 diplomatic protests against the latter." 

"Such illegal activities include (a) harassment, shadowing, blocking, dangerous maneuvers, and radio challenges; (b) unilateral imposition of a fishing moratorium; (c) unauthorized conduct of Marine Scientific Research activities; (d) incessant and unlawful restriction of Filipino fishermen from conducting legitimate fishing activities in Bajo de Masinloc; and (e) harassment of Philippine boats in Ayungin Shoal," the resolution stated. 

Despite such harassment from China, the resolution said the Philippines should continue to assert and fight for its rights in the WPS "and uphold and implement its hard-earned victory at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague, the Netherlands".