China continues to fish in West Philippine Sea due to 'contested' EEZ -Esperon

National Security Adviser Secretary Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said China has continued fishing in the West Philippine Sea because the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) remains contested by China and other neighboring countries.

"Kaya lang 'yung sinasabi ko na 'yung EEZ, 'yung ating exclusive economic zone, ay contested 'yan ng China, Vietnam, at Malaysia (What I'm saying is that our exclusive economic zone is contested by China, Vietnam, and Malaysia)," Esperon said at the Laging Handa public briefing. 

He cited the example of the Mischief Reef, where artificial islands were constructed by China to assert its territorial claim.

"That's what the President said that if we take it back, all of that happened in 2013 and 2016. We lost Bajo De Masinloc or Panatag or Scarborough when China took it in 2012," Esperon said in Filipino.

But Esperon assured the public that the Philippine government has already deployed Bureau of Fisheries vessels and the Philippine Coast Guard to enforce fisheries laws within the EEZ.

Sandy Cay

Meanwhile, Esperon belied claims by retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio that China has "seized" the Sandy Cay as government forces continued to patrol the area.

"Masabi ko rin na 'yung sinasabi ni Justice Carpio na nawala natin ang Sandy Cay, hindi totoo 'yun. 'Yun ay parte ng Pag-asa Island na kung saan ay meron tayong detachment ng civilian at military. At 'yung Pag-asa Island na kung saan ay may airport tayo, ay merong Sandy Cay na apat, at 'yun ay binabantayan natin. Ni minsan magmula noong 2016 ay wala tayong nawawalang isla na kinuha ng China. Mali si Justice Carpio. Fake news 'yung sinasabi niya, false news," he said.

(When Justice Carpio said that we lost the Sandy Cay, that is not true. That is part of Pag-asa Island where we have civilian and military detachments. The Pag-asa Island where we have an airport, there are four Sandy Cays, which we keep an eye on. Since 2016 we have not lost an island to China. Justice Carpio is wrong. What he is saying is fake news, false news.) -MDM, GMA News