IBP urges gov’t to uphold country’s interests in West Philippine Sea

Published May 28, 2021 11:18 AM By VIRGIL LOPEZ,GMA News

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has urged the government to uphold the country’s interests in the West Philippine Sea amid Chinese encroachments in the resource-rich area.

In a statement, the lawyers’ organization said the Executive department,  Congress, military, judiciary, constitutional commissions, and local officials should stand behind the arbitral ruling that invalidated Beijing’s historical claims that cover the West Philippine Sea, which is a portion of the South China Sea.

The IBP also said the state should make it clear that the ruling is “not a mere piece of paper fit only to be thrown in a waste basket,

” an apparent reference to President Rodrigo Duterte’s controversial declaration early this month.

The group also called on the government to declare that Chinese and other foreign nationals cannot fish in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as its use and enjoyment is reserved exclusively to Filipino citizens, and that any physical possession of the Philippines’ EEZ by China is unlawful.

The statement was signed by the IBP board of governors on Monday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has been actively protesting the lingering presence of Chinese vessels believed to be manned by maritime militia in areas within the Philippines’ EEZ.

Duterte, meanwhile, said that the Philippines would not withdraw its ships in the West Philippine Sea despite the country's “debt of gratitude” to China, which contributed to the country’s COVID-19 response through the delivery of vaccine doses and medical supplies.

Representatives from both sides had a virtual meeting on May 21 in which they recognized the importance of addressing differences in “an atmosphere of openness and cordiality to pave the way for practical cooperation and initiatives,” the DFA said. — RSJ, GMA News

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