While a UN tribunal has ruled that the West Philippine Sea is part of Philippine territory, the country’s very own foreign affairs secretary said yesterday that the area, still being claimed by China, should still be described as “disputed.”
“What are we going to do? Will we pretend it’s not disputed? So let’s be practical,” Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters in English and Filipino yesterday.
That came in response to a Monday statement made by Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who called on people to stop calling the area disputed. For him, it is an indication that China can still claim ownership of the area.
“The legal ownership is not disputed anymore, so we should not say that the area is disputed because the moment that you say that the area is disputed, China will say ‘You see, it’s still disputed,'” he said in the ANC show Headstart.
The West Philippine Sea is a strategically located area in the Pacific Ocean being claimed by several countries including the Philippines, China, and Taiwan. In 2016, the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal ruled that the Philippines has exclusive sovereign rights over the area.
The tribunal also said that China’s “nine-dash line,” a demarcation line the country uses to claim parts of the West Philippine Sea, is invalid.
“China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone. The Tribunal further held that Chinese law-enforcement vessels had unlawfully created a serious risk of collision when they physically obstructed Philippine vessels,” it said.
However, the ruling has not stopped China from continuing activities in Philippine territory, something the Philippine government does not take much issue with.
Last week, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said that he was open to a joint exploration of the West Philippine Sea with China, likening it to a “co-ownership.”
“Their offer is to do a joint exploration, like a co-ownership. It’s like we both own it. That’s better, instead of fighting,” he said.
The president has also joked about making the Philippines a province of China during an event attended by Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua.
But Carpio thinks the Philippines needs to stand its ground.
“Don’t say [it’s disputed], because the tribunal has already ruled with finality. There’s no appeal. We’re the owners of the resources there. There is no legal dispute as to the ownership of oil, fish, and gas. It belongs exclusively to the Philippines. The only problem is how to get China to comply,” he said.
Cayetano, Duterte’s running mate in the 2016 elections, doesn’t think it’s that simple and said that calling it disputed in no way means the country is giving up its claim.
“Why fight about the nomenclature? I can stop using the word ‘disputed.’ It will not make it non-disputed. It will not move our claims any further.”
“Because we’re calling it disputed, it doesn’t mean that we’re not saying it’s ours,” Cayetano also said.
