PH to protest if China builds on Panatag

He noted that the Coast Guard is a civilian agency, which sends a message that the Philippines is avoiding war or military confrontation in the area.

- preme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio urged the government to take a hardline position on Panatag Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc.

Carpio, in a statement last week, said the shoal is within the terri in the July 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The controversy surfaced anew said he could not do anything to prevent China from constructing structures on the shoal.

‘Close watch’ over shoal

In a news conference in Thailand - Enrique Manalo said the government would keep a “close watch” over Panatag Shoal.

Manalo said there had been no change in the shoal and that freely” to the area.

“In the meantime, we are maintaining a close watch on the Scarborough Shoal so we would be aware on the developments within the area,” Manalo told reporters.

of any developments as it receives reports from the Coast Guard and security agencies.

China is reportedly preparing to build an environment monitoring station on Panatag Shoal off the coast of Zambales province.

Manalo echoed the statement “diplomatic and peaceful settlement of disputes” in the South China Sea.

“We’ll be having a chance to talk to China face-to-face on the issue of the South China Sea. We agreed to establish a bilateral mechanism with China to discuss issues on South China Sea. So I think the President is very clear: We want to have a peaceful, diplomatic settlement of dispute but we will not fail to protect our national interests, if necessary,” he said.

According to Manalo, China will be hosting a dialogue with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in May over the crafting of a framework for a legally binding code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea.

“Maybe, at that time, we will have made significant progress on the framework [for the code of conduct in the South China Sea],” he said.

“Now, the purpose of the code is to see how we can manage our disputes carefully, not to raise tensions, not to escalate tensions. And that’s the whole idea of the code. So all countries, even though we may have some disputes, we have to behave and deal with each other in a way that doesn’t lead to con - tion,” Manalo said.

All Asean member countries and China signed on November Code of Conduct of Parties in the aims to exercise self-restraint and prevent non-militarization within the contested waters.

- nei, Malaysia, Philippines, and the disputed area, while China and Taiwan are claiming most of its features.

Manalo admitted that there would be challenges in crafting the final version of the COC but had high hopes for a successful deal.

“Of course, there are challenges in the sense that you know, it’s Asean and China. So that’s 11 countries and all have views. But you know, I think, through the years, many ideas have already developed regarding what kind of elements can go into the code. So every country has a fairly good idea,” Manalo said.

“That’s why I think, even though there will be challenges in agreeing what should be the main elements, I think there’s still a good ground as long as countries are willing, have political will to arrive at certain agreements on the framework,” he added.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, mean connection to the maritime dispute over the South China is part of the government’s strategy.

“These are all parts of the dynamics and the strategy so please understand and give a latitude at have to report to the people, what country will be able to achieve its objectives if we announce our strategy while we’re implementing our strategy?” he said.

‘PH should not be bullied’

A senator on Wednesday insisted that the Philippine government should not allow itself to be bullied by China and instead invoke the ruling of the international arbitral tribunal on the West Philippine Sea (South China

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said it was the duty of the government to invoke the ruling of the international tribunal and take action before international legal institutions to contest the plan of China to build a radar installation on Panatag Shoal.

Gatchalian was referring to the July 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague declaring that Chinese actions in the West Philippine Sea had violated the Philippines sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone.

“The favorable decision in the Philippines vs. China case is a potent tool we can use to enforce our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea. It is our duty to take action before international legal institutions to contest any further acts of Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea,” the senator pointed out.

Gatchalian stressed that the Scarborough Shoal, which sits less than 200 kilometers off the coast of Zambales, is a militarily protected at all costs.

“Chinese military activity so close to the Philippine mainland is an alarming national security risk that must be immediately addressed,” the senator added.