Strengthening bonds of friendship

Residents of the Palawan island town of Kalayaan in the Spratlys need not worry, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs; China has reassured the Philippines that it has no plans of occupying new islands or reefs in disputed waters. The DFA, now a staunch defender of Beijing, has also claimed that Chinese construction of artificial islands in the South China Sea are over.

As Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano himself disclosed, this is the reason why the DFA blocked mention of Chinese reclamation and militarization activities in the Spratlys, in the communiqué issued at the end of the ASEAN ministerial meetings in Manila earlier this month.

How Cayetano became sure that the island reclamation is over is a mystery. The DFA, reflecting the attitude of the President who is the official responsible for crafting the nation’s foreign policy, has also sidestepped the main issue, which is not just an end to China’s island-building, but its departure from areas that one look at any map will show are way beyond its maritime territory and 200-mile exclusive economic zone.

The world is governed by international rules. The Permanent Arbitration Court in The Hague, invoking rules that both the Philippines and China have ratified, last year invalidated Beijing’s claim over nearly the entire South China Sea. The expansive claim, delineated by nine dashes that China drew unilaterally, leaves its Southeast Asian neighbors with only enough sea space for beach resorts and small-scale fishing.

The Duterte administration has bent over backwards to give the Chinese “face” and put strained bilateral relations back on track after the UN-backed court ruling. While this is a sound approach, considering the two countries’ long history of friendship, the Philippines must prevent the arbitral court ruling from being relegated to the backburner.

This is not about a small nation taking on a giant. The Philippines has the weight of the United Nations behind the arbitral ruling, and the country should be rallying international support for compliance with a ruling based on the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas.

That unanimous ruling awarded the Philippines sovereign rights specifically over Recto (Reed) Bank, Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and Panganiban (Mischief) Reef. China still occupies Panganiban, and the President is mandated by the Constitution to defend the country’s sovereignty. The sooner the reef is handed over to its rightful owner, the better for strengthening bonds of friendship.