SUMMARY
MANILA, Philippines – At a premier security conference in Munich, Germany, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo drew attention to China’s increasing harassment of Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, describing it as an occurrence that now formed part of the “daily situation” in the volatile waterway.
“On a day-to-day basis, there are still many events occurring in the South China Sea, and there are daily incidents – at least as far as we see it – cases of harassment or land reclamation, which, in many cases, have been depriving the Philippines of the use of our exclusive economic zone,” Manalo said.
Manalo’s comments at the Munich Security Conference came just days after the Philippine Coast Guard disclosed that a China Coast Guard ship used a military-grade laser against the BRP Malapascua near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
The incident, which had raised tensions, prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to summon Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian – a first by a Philippine leader in recent years.
In Munich, Manalo’s statement reflected a growing trend of Chinese incursions in the South China Sea first captured by Filipino fishermen’s accounts as well as maritime data that illustrated China’s near-daily presence around key features in the maritime area.
It also echoed remarks that Marcos told Huang during his summoning. At the time, the Philippine leader expressed serious concern over the “increasing frequency and intensity” of China’s actions in Philippine waters.
“That is more or less the daily situation that we face,” Manalo said, referring to China’s growing aggression in the South China Sea.
He added: “Our hope is that the international community, in the context of affirming the need for a rules-based order, would understand our position and support not only the Philippines, but other countries, in ensuring that we have adherence to a rules-based order in the South China Sea.”
China’s continued harassment of not only the Philippines, but other Southeast Asian claimant states in the South China Sea, takes place despite a 2016 landmark legal award that ruled the nine-dash-line Beijing used to claim the waterway was illegal.
The 2016 Hague ruling, which the Philippines filed and won, continued to be an “anchor” of Manila’s policy on the maritime dispute, Manalo said.
Bejing, however, has continued to ignore the 2016 Hague Ruling, casting it as “invalid.”
Asked how the international community might aid in implementing a rules-based order in the South China Sea, Manalo suggested for discussions to be held on the rule of law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) “to create awareness of the issue.”
Dialogue and debate on the issue can be held at the UN Security Council and General Assembly, Manalo added.
“I think discussions like that will create greater awareness of the importance of UNCLOS and maintaining a rules-based order so that any disputes or conflicts are settled through the rule of law and through peaceful means and not through coercive measures or aggressive moves,” he said.