By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora
MANILA – The Philippine government on Thursday strongly protested China’s plan to create a nature reserve at the Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea, pointing out that only Manila can put up a marine protected area in the feature.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) called the Chinese plan “illegitimate and unlawful” and told Beijing to withdraw it.
“The Philippines urges China to respect the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the Philippines over Bajo de Masinloc, refrain from enforcing and immediately withdraw its State Council issuance, and comply with its obligations under international law,” it said, citing the the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the final and binding 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, and the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).
The DFA said Bajo de Masinloc is a longstanding and integral part of the Philippines over which it has sovereignty and jurisdiction.
It reiterated that the Philippines has the “exclusive authority” to establish environmental protection areas over its territory and relevant maritime zones.
The Chinese government publicized on Wednesday its State Council’s “approval” of the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources’s request to establish the reserve in the Scarborough Shoal, which it plans to call the Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve.
The DFA said it will issue a formal diplomatic protest against this action, noting that it “clearly infringes upon the rights and interests of the Philippines in accordance with international law.” (PNA)
