WPS as marine haven vs strife

We must learn to cooperate as one region in the protection of our natural resources while we settle the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea.

To ward off future conflicts, Palawan legislators have proposed to turn most of the West Philippine Sea, which is in one of the richest marine areas in the world, into “marine protected areas.”

Palawan Representatives Edward Hagedorn, Edgardo Salvame and Jose Chavez Alvarez are proposing a measure that would declare features of Kalayaan Island Group and Scarborough Shoal as off-limits to vessels and human activity.

House Bill 6373 rallies for curbs to preserve the atolls, coral reefs, and other vital marine resources around these parts.

It will take, however, an agreement in the entire region to turn the area into a neutral zone.

“We must learn to cooperate as one region in the protection of our natural resources while we settle the territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea,” Hagedorn said Friday.

He added: “(It) is a shared interest and responsibility of all adjoining states around the South China Sea. We all stand to gain or to lose depending on the outcome of our collective actions while we settle our territorial disputes.”

Spark for cooperation

Hagedorn hopes the bill will help initiate regional cooperation. The bill argues that a hectare of the reef is pegged to produce $350,000 in marine products a year.

Through this bill, Hagedorn hopes for the Philippines to help initiate and spark regional cooperation.

It will take, however, an agreement in the entire region to turn the area into a neutral zone.

“The coral reefs in the Spratlys comprise 34 percent of the world’s total coral reefs, despite the West Philippine Sea occupying only 2.5 percent of the world’s total ocean and sea surface,” he said.

The House members said South China Sea is one of the richest marine areas in the world with 3,000 species of fish and 600 species of coral reef.

Activities by surrounding states locked in territorial disputes — like overfishing, poaching, and large-scale ocean filling or reclamation-led to significant environmental degradation in the area.

Citing Republic Act 11038, or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018, as well as the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, the lawmakers reiterated that the proposed measure has strong backing in declaring the target regions as protected areas.