Marcos: Nature reserve plan in Bajo de Masinloc violates PH sovereignty

Before world leaders including United States President Donald Trump, President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. called out the planned building of a nature reserve in Bajo de Masinloc, which is also called Panatag Shoal or Scarborough Shoal.

At the 13th ASEAN - US Summit, Marcos, without naming China, emphasized that the attempt to build a nature reserve in the Bajo de Masinloc violates the Philippines' sovereignty and the fishing rights of Filipino fisherfolk, which has been supported by international laws.

''Moreover, the attempt of some actors to establish the so-called “nature reserve” status over Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, which is a longstanding and integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction, clearly violates not only Philippine sovereignty, but also the traditional fishing rights of our people guaranteed by international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, and affirmed by the final and binding 2016 Award on the South China Sea Arbitration and relevant domestic laws,'' Marcos said in his speech.

Still, Marcos said the Philippines would continue to remain calm and resolute in pushing for the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the enforcement of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

''These incidents notwithstanding, the Philippines will continue to remain firm, calm, and resolute in its commitment to the full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and to pursuing productive negotiations towards a Code of Conduct that is effective, substantive, and consistent with international law, particularly UNCLOS,'' he added.

Marcos lamented that incidents continue to occur in the West Philippine Sea, ''which endanger the lives of Philippine personnel and compromise the safety of our vessels and aircraft.''

These include dangerous maneuvers and the coercive use of tools and equipment to interfere with or obstruct legitimate and routine Philippine activities in the country's own maritime zones and airspace, Marcos said.

To recall, it was on September 10 when China announced the creation of a national nature reserve in Bajo de Masinloc, a move that prompted the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to file a diplomatic protest against China over its plan.

Bajo de Masinloc is located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, and is considered within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Tensions continue as Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual shipborne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.

Parts of the South China Sea that fall within Philippine territory have been renamed by the government as West Philippine Sea to reinforce the country’s claim.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that the latter had "no legal basis."

Beijing has since ignored the ruling. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News