The “earth-moving activities” now being undertaken by the Chinese government in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) may undermine the Philippines’s
fish supply.
This is because the area, where the reclamation is now ongoing, is a breeding ground for fish, Department of National Defense Spokesman Peter Paul Galvez told the BusinessMirror.
“Since that is a breeding ground, it will eventually affect fish catch in the whole Western area,” Galvez said. “Them being there is really a major concern; it’s a critical issue; it’s a grave concern.”
Galvez said the breeding ground is also the location where major commercial fishermen are known to fish. Due to the activities in the area, commercial fishermen have gone elsewhere to obtain the country’s fish supply.
Apart from the threat to the country’s fish supply, Galvez noted that the destruction of the habitat of marine life will render the entire contested area destroyed at least for another decade.
This, he said, could prevent activities such as research and development on possible raw materials for high-value exports and cures for still incurable diseases.
“Sira ’yan for the next decade or so, sira ’yang buong area na ’yan dahil ginulo na nila ’yung habitat. [This is a problem because] malay mo merong specie dun na hindi natin nakita na pwede palang may medicinal value, wala na ’yun ngayon, we will never know,” Galvez said.
While some sectors believe it would be more advantageous to codevelop the area with Beijing, Manila thinks otherwise.
Galvez said codeveloping the area will only mean that the Philippines has surrendered to what the Chinese government want, and that is a share in the country’s rich natural resources.
Even if the Philippines has asked China to “stop and dismantle” its operations and structures in the area, the activities continue and the still-unknown economic loss of the country increases.
“Ang importante sa atin we continuously draw the attention of the international community; it’s the only peaceful way. We are a peaceful people, we are a peaceful country,” Galvez said.
Reports of constructions on the islands in the West Philippine Sea surfaced last year and were later confirmed by recent satellite images showing China building a “great wall of sand” with various heavy equipment. The activities are being undertaken in the Spratly Islands on Mischief Reef, which is also being claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.
Recent satellite images show that the reclamation project includes over 500 meters of runway and paved sections of apron.