THE last three years have seen our dispute with China over islands in the West Philippine Sea escalate to unprecedented heights. China has been building up “a wall of sand” around shoals in the Mischief Reef, connecting these shoals. Further, it has now succeeded in creating a 3-kilometer-long airstrip from which Chinese aircraft can fly to the airspace of the Philippines, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. This is an obvious threat to our national security.
We are under challenge not just in the Mischief Reef, but in the Bajo de Masinloc and the Kalayaan group, as well, islets or reefs that are within the Philippine 200-mile exclusive economic zone, as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).
We have lodged a memorial over Chinese actions at the International Court of Justice, validating our claims over parts of the West Philippine Sea. We are confident that we will win our case.
The United States has taken an interest in the dispute not only because it undermines peace and stability in the Southeast Asian region, but because it poses a threat to freedom of navigation in this part of the world. It is calling on China to refrain from creating tensions in this region through its efforts to change the facts on the ground. But China has taken a hard-line position, asserting what it calls its “unshakable sovereign right” over Chinese territory.
At this point, matters do not look reassuring.
The Filipino people, we dare say, are ready to respond to Chinese bullying. But we need concreteness in our thoughts about Philippine territory and Philippine sovereignty.
For starters, where exactly is the Mischief Reef, the Bajo de Masinloc, the Kalayaan Group and, for that matter, where are the Spratlys and the Scarborough Shoal? What islands in the vast West Philippine Sea are enclosed in the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, as defined by the Unclos?
The Encyclopaedia Britannica describes the vast West Philippine Sea as consisting of shoals, reefs and rocks protruding above water during high tides. The places we are talking about are some of these rocks, reefs and shoals.
We call upon the national authorities concerned to print maps of the Philippines explicitly showing the “islands” in the West Philippine Sea, including, specifically, those that belong to us, so that we, and the rest of the Filipino people, will know exactly what we are talking about when we refer to our territory and sovereignty. These maps must also show the 200-mile exclusive economic zone and the islands enclosed by it. These maps must be printed and distributed to the population as soon as possible.
Who are the authorities concerned? The National Historical Commission? The Department of Education? The Department of National Defense? Whoever they are, they must do the job now.
It is time we are provided with a clear frame of reference for our patriotism. Our government owes it to us.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano