(Eagle News) – The Department of Foreign Affairs has sent a note verbale to China complaining about the mass harvesting of giant clams by numerous large Chinese fishing boats in the disputed Scarborough Shoal.
“We just caught them doing that recently, filed a diplomatic note, and will be taking legal action. With our legal department now,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddy” Locsin Jr., said in a tweet.
These activities of Chinese fishermen had been going on for years now, according to Filipino fishermen who had been observing them.
A news TV crew was even able to film these big Chinese boats apparently harvesting the giant clams, locally known as “taklobo” in the Scarborough Shoal.
When they went to check underwater, the TV crew saw stacks of dead giant clams with color markings apparently done by the Chinese fishermen.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said this is an “affront” to Philippine sovereignty.
“Because that’s our territory, therefore it is an affront to our territory and to our sovereignty,” he said when asked about this harvesting of giant clams by the Chinese fishermen in Scarborough.
There were also several reports of Chinese activities that had destroyed corals in the area.
-Legal action to be instituted against China-
“That’s why I share the sentiments of Secretary Locsin when he filed a diplomatic protest. He said he would institute legal action,” Panelo told reporters in a press briefing Tuesday, April 16.
“The fact that we have already issued a diplomatic protest and a note verbale is already a statement of the position of this government,” he stressed.
Panelo said that he was also certain that China would be issuing its explanation regarding the matter.
“We’ll wait for their official response and then act on it,” he said.
But the presidential spokesperson said that this was a very serious matter that requires serious study.
“These are very serious matters and require serious study,” Panelo said.
“We’re still waiting (for China’s response). I’m sure they will explain in time,” he said.
Panelo also said that President Rodrigo Duterte could be issuing a statement on the matter.
“We will wait for the President’s decision on that,” he said.
“China as far as it is concerned, it owns the vast South China Sea; hence logically, it will be performing acts of ownership and sovereignty over those areas. In other words, they are just being consistent with themselves,” he said.
“And tayo rin we have to be consistent with ours. As far as we are concerned, that is ours, so we will be objecting to any intrusion into our own territory,” he said.
-Harvesting of giant shells by China in 2012-
Scarborough, also known as Panatag Shoal, is a disputed territory claimed by the Philippines, China and Taiwan.
It was previously administered by the Philippines, but in 2012, China sent warships to invade the shoal, and since then had taken over administration of the shoal.
The Philippines, in April 2012, a Philippine warship intercepted several Chinese fishermen at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, and even caught a Chinese fishing boat loaded with giant clam shells. This led to a two- month standoff when two Chinese law enforcement vessels arrived before Manila could complete the arrest.
During the stand-off between Philippines and China, it was initially thought that the United States would help its treaty ally the Philippines to defend its claim on the territory and help drive away the Chinese war ships because of the Philippines-US Mutual Defense Treaty.
But the US chose to distance itself from the tension and just issued “verbal protests” against China.
-US “unreliable ally” in 2012-
The US tried to broker a resolution in a meeting with Chinese officials in June 2012. At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that both the Chinese and Philippine sides should withdraw from the Scarbrough Shoal.
The following week, the Philippines ships left the Scarborough Shoal and returned home, but the Chinese, however, stayed in the area.
The US was then not able to do anything about it anymore, prompting Filipino officials to say that the US was an ‘unreliable ally’, a position which was echoed by other countries.
(Eagle News Service)
