MANILA, Philippines—Citing the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA)
comprehensive “overall plan” on promoting national security, Foreign
Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has expressed confidence the
Philippines could settle peacefully its Scarborough Shoal dispute with
China, as well as other West Philippine Sea-, or South China Sea-related
issues.
Del Rosario noted “the Chinese are now in violation of the
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Declaration on the Code of
Conduct in the South China Sea when they are preventing us from
enforcing our laws in our Exclusive Economic Zone.”
Briefing reporters before he left for an official trip to the United
States last weekend, the DFA head said they had “broken up (the) overall
plan into diplomatic or political, legal and defense tracks.”
For the political track, he said the country would continue to push
for the transformation of the West Philippine Sea into a Zone of Peace,
Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation (ZOPFFC).
Del Rosario reiterated that under the ZOPFFC, Manila would observe a
rules-based approach to all disputes in accordance with the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
For the legal track, the DFA plans to continue coordinating with
other concerned government agencies as it resorts to a dispute
settlement mechanisms under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, or
UNCLOS.
“There are five of them and we’re assessing which one is best for us, one that will serve our purpose well,” he noted.
For the defense track, Del Rosario said the foreign office had
committed to improve national defense by building a minimum credible
defense posture to protect the country’s territorial sovereignty.
“We need this to complement our diplomatic capacity,” he emphasized.
Given the country’s lack of resources, he earlier said “it behooves
us to proactively seek the assistance and cooperation of our various
international partners (like the United States) to achieve this minimum
credible defense posture, which is a fundamental attribute of any
sovereign country.”
This year, the Philippines will be receiving about $144.66 million in defense assistance from the US, he disclosed.
Aside from the delivery of a second Hamilton-class Coast Guard
cutter, “negotiations are likewise underway for more defense articles,
including newer air assets for the Philippine Air Force. We also
successfully secured funding in the amount of $53 million for radar
systems to be used by the Coast Watch Council for enhanced maritime
domain awareness,” he told a recent media forum.
According to Del Rosario, Manila is also updating its defense
partnership with Washington under the two allies’ Mutual Defense Treaty,
citing changes in the regional and global security environment.
He emphasized “our focal point for cooperation is to increase our capacity for territorial defense and maritime security.”
Last weekend, Del Rosario also said, “We’re in the process of being
part of the drafting of the Code of Conduct (of parties in the South
China Sea).”
He said, however, that “we ran on a little problem on that because
the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Cambodia)
appears to take that China should be invited early so that it could be
part of selecting the major elements that could go to the COC in the
part of the drafting committee.”
“So we’re saying that is in violation of the position that the
centrality of Asean should be maintained. We think that the exercise of
the major elements to be included in the COC, as well as the drafting of
it should be internal among Asean (member-states). And once that’s done
then, we can invite China,” asserted Del Rosario.
The West Philippine Sea remains a core national interest for the
country, and “diplomatically, we are working to ensure that what is ours
is ours,” he said, adding a rules-based approach would be the “only
legitimate and viable way of addressing disputes in the West Philippine
Sea.
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Jerry E. Esplanada | Philippine Daily Inquirer | April 29, 2012 | Article Link
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