MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Joker Arroyo yesterday called on President
Aquino to launch a “diplomatic offensive” in the region by tapping the
support of the United States and its allies in the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the latest conflict with China.
Arroyo said he wants a collective stand against the apparent
intrusion of China into Philippine shores through Scarborough Shoal.
“We are one of the founders of the ASEAN. We were even the first
chairman of the ASEAN. Now what is the use of the ASEAN?” he said. “We
should have a diplomatic offensive. They have been meeting. (But now)
when one of the members are threatened, they have not even issued a
stand.”
Arroyo said ASEAN failed to issue even a “resolution of concern or
sympathy” during the standoff with China over Scarborough, which the
Philippines calls Panatag Shoal.
He noted that the Philippines did not even get any commitment from
other ASEAN states during the recent summit in Cambodia when President
Aquino pushed for a common stand on maritime disputes in the region.
In the case of the US, Arroyo said it should at least come out with a
categorical statement on the dispute “even if we know that they will
not likely go to war with China for us.”
He said the Scarborough incident “showed we don’t have reliable allies at all.”
Arroyo described as “embarrassing” the country’s deployment of the
BRP Gregorio del Pilar, a retired ship donated by the US to the
Philippine government without its high-tech equipment.
Arroyo added that Malacañang should start coordinating with other
agencies of the government, including the Senate and the House of
Representatives, to be able to provide a holistic approach to resolving
the issue after consensus is reached among all stakeholders.
“We don’t know information that may only be exclusive to Palace… we
should work together on this… perhaps they are doing something, but we
cannot second-guess on the information that Malacañang has,” he said.
Losing both
Arroyo expressed concern that the Philippines might eventually lose
the Spratlys and even Scarborough to China, in the same manner Sabah was
acquired by Malaysia with British backing several decades ago.
Arroyo lamented that the country was unable to get any show of
support from the US, which has been the Philippines’ traditional ally
amid its implementation of the so-called Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).
“Ang nakakalungkot dito (What is lamentable), is this: ang laban (the
battle is) Spratlys and Scarborough. In both instances, at the moment,
we are left on our own. Once upon a time, we had a claim in Sabah… but
that was it, we lost it. What if the situation happens again to China?
What would we do?” he said.
Because of this, Arroyo said Aquino should discuss the matter with
the US government to enable the Philippines to get a commitment of
support over the Spratlys and Scarborough Shoal.
He said the US Seventh Fleet is still operating in the region, and
the Philippines can possibly ask the US for help about securing its
economic sea lanes.
“The Philippines should start talking with the Americans. This is the
problem. That is the solution,” said Arroyo, noting further the US’
silence on the security problem in the region.
Arroyo lamented the US failed to even give a statement of support for
the Philippines in the middle of the standoff over the shoal.
“America will not go to war over Scarborough Shoal and Spratlys. They
are withdrawing from Iraq, even in Pakistan. Even in Syria, they don’t
want to be involved,” he said.
Arroyo also called for a stop in politicking among enemies and allies
of the Aquino administration, saying the more pressing problems on
power rates and the territorial standoff between the Philippines and
China should be given top priority.
Other lawmakers also called on the ASEAN to intervene in the standoff.
“We are also calling on the ASEAN to actively monitor and intervene
in the dispute based on the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties
in the South China Sea,” Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casiño said.
He said President Aquino should not ask the US for help as this could only exacerbate the conflict over the Scarborough Shoal.
Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone also urged the Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) to seek the help of the United Nations (UN) in resolving
the standoff.
“The UN should step in because what is being violated by the Chinese
is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS. The UN should
assert that international laws should be respected and obeyed by the
international community,” he said.
Evardone said under UNCLOS, countries that are archipelagoes like the
Philippines could claim waters 200 miles from their shorelines as their
exclusive economic zone.
“Scarborough Shoal is just 124 miles from Zambales and is clearly
within our country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone. It is thrice that
distance from China,” he said.
Evardone said even just in terms of distance, the Philippines has more right to claim Scarborough Shoal than China.
Evardone, however, said he is not surprised that the Chinese are
declaring ownership of this group of rock formations off Zambales since
they are also claiming the Spratly group of islets, which are farther
away off Palawan.
Multilateral approach
The Department of National Defense (DND) urged China to limit actions
that would not contribute to the peaceful resolution of the standoff in
Scarborough.
DND spokesman Peter Galvez said the incident underscores the need for
Southeast Asian countries to cooperate in seeking a solution to
territorial disputes.
“We are always for the multilateral approach in resolving the issue,”
Galvez said. “The Panatag incident highlights our call for a
multilateral approach and cooperation between our regional partners and
allies.”
Galvez said territorial disputes are multilateral as these involve the conglomeration of different claims.
China has rejected a multilateral approach to resolve the issue, saying non-claimant countries should not meddle in the dispute.
Galvez said the recent actions of China might not help resolve peacefully the standoff now on its sixth day.
“(Our appeal is for China) to limit their actions that may not be
helpful for the peaceful resolution (of the matter),” Galvez said.
When asked if the DND is disturbed by China’s move to send another
vessel and aircraft in the area, Galvez said, “This will not be helpful
in coming up with a peaceful resolution. We view it as actions that may
not be helpful in the current situation.”
The DND, nevertheless, remains optimistic that the issue would be settled peacefully.
“We don’t wish it to escalate further. We are still hoping for a peaceful resolution (of the standoff),” Galvez said.
On April 8, the Navy monitored eight Chinese fishing vessels anchored inside the shoal while conducting a security patrol.
The Gregorio del Pilar, the Navy’s largest warship, was deployed on the same day to protect the country’s sovereignty.
Scarborough, which the Philippines calls Panatag Shoal, is 124
nautical miles from the nearest base point in Zambales. It is within the
Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone based on the
UNCLOS, to which China is a signatory.
The Gregorio del Pilar sent a boarding team on April 10 to inspect
the fishing vessels and collect evidence of their catch. The team found
illegally collected corals, giant clams and live sharks inside the
vessels.
However, two Chinese surveillance ships placed themselves between the
Del Pilar and the fishing vessels, preventing the arrest of the erring
fishermen.
The Del Pilar was “relieved” by Coast Guard ship BRP Pampanga on April 12 reportedly to allow the warship to load supplies.
On the same day, China sent a third vessel, which the military said is from the Chinese ministry of agriculture.
On Saturday, China boosted its presence by redeploying a ship into
the shoal that had been thought to have already left the area.
An aircraft believed to be Chinese was also reported to have buzzed
over BRP Pampanga, the only asset that the Philippines used to assert
its claim in the area.
The DFA said a white or civilian Chinese ship – presumably the one
that returned – harassed a Philippine-registered vessel with nine French
nationals conducting archaeological surveys.
It was also reported on Saturday that all but one of the Chinese vessels involved in the standoff had left Panatag Shoal.
Casiño, for his part, said the Chinese fishermen caught poaching in Scarborough Shoal should turn over their illegal catch.
“What the Chinese did was a blatant infringement of our territory.
China is obviously targeting our rich marine, mineral and energy
deposits and if they are serious in not escalating this standoff, they
should return their illegal catch to Philippine authorities as a sign of
goodwill,” he said.
“But this incursion must stop and this should be the last. We call on
China to respect the Philippines’ territorial integrity and to settle
our conflicting claims over the area diplomatically and not through
force or intimidation,” he said.
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Christina Mendez | The Philippine Star | April 16, 2012 | Article Link
