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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Joint maritime patrols must happen sooner than later--Villafuerte

Joint maritime patrols must happen sooner than later--Villafuerte

Published Aug 7, 2023 11:36 am

At A Glance

  • Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte is hoping that the proposed maritime patrols between the Philippines and the United States (US) would come to fruition sooner than later. 

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Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte (Facebook)

 

 

 

 

Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte is hoping that the proposed maritime patrols between the Philippines and the United States (US) would come to fruition sooner than later. 

“Our NSC (National Security Council) expects the proposed maritime patrols with the US to begin happening before the year is over,” Villafuerte said in a statement Monday, Aug. 7. 

Two days prior to this, a China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel used its water cannon to prevent a supply boat from delivering food and other provisions to the Philippine Marine outpost on the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. 

“Under the circumstances, it is my hope that such joint sails can start much sooner and possibly include other allied nation that have similarly condemned China’s illegal maneuvers and strive for peace and stability in the crucial international waterway,” Villafuerte said. 

The BRP Sierra Madre serves as the Philippines' military outpost in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) 

The Bicolano made these remarks as the US, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom (UK) , Germany and the European Union (EU) separately condemned what the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have described as the CCG’s “dangerous and illegal use of water cannons” . 

Meanwhile, Villafuerte said he believes Congress can help the Marcos administration better protect the country against such unauthorized presence by Chinese vessels in Philippine waters by writing new legislation establishing the country’s archipelagic sea lanes as espoused in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other relevant international conventions. 

Under the UNCLOS, the Kalayaan group of islands, which includes Ayungin Shoal, is within the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and continental shelf of the Philippines.  

In July 2017, the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippine's case against China, thereby invalidating the latter's expansive nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea. 

The WPS is located in the South China Sea.

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lray villafuerte West Philippine Sea
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