A LEADER of the House of Representatives on Tuesday reminded President Duterte that going to war against China is not an option in enforcing the Philippines arbitral victory in the West Philippine Sea.
Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez made a statement after President Duterte said during his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) that asserting country’s territorial rights would only lead to war with China.
“However, we can assert our sovereign rights over our 200 Miles Exclusive Economic Zone as upheld by the International Tribunal Award,” he said.
“Under international law, the award is binding upon China. It is to be noted that China sent a position paper which the Tribunal considered and thoroughly deliberated on in granting the award,” he added.
With this, the House leader said on the scale of 1 to 10, “I give the President a grade of 8.”
Earlier, Rodriguez filed House Resolution 1975 urging the Congress to declare July 12 of every year as National West Philippine Sea Victory Day.
He said this declaration will celebrate the government’s July 12, 2016 triumph before the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration, which upheld our country’s sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea, “much of which our frenemy China is illegally claiming as part of its territory.”
According to Rodriguez, it is clear that under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Kalayaan Island group and portions of the Spratly Islands in the Palawan area and Panatag Shoal off Zambales and Pangasinan are part of the 200-mile exclusive economic zone of the Philippines.
He said China is illegally occupying some of these islands, including Panatag or Scarborough Shoal, which Filipino fishermen call Bajo de Masinloc and which Beijing seized in 2012 after a standoff between the Chinese Coast Guard and the Philippine Coast Guard.