PH BACKS INTL PACT ON MARINE RESOURCES

THE Philippines has pushed for conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas or areas beyond national jurisdiction. Manila reaffirmed its support for an international legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ).

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in a statement on Monday said that this instrument should be under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) framework.

DFA Assistant Secretary for Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office Maria Angela Ponce relayed Manila’s position on April 14 during the webinar on the BBNJ agreement dialogue series for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). The webinar was organized by the Centre for International Law of the National University of Singapore, together with Hanoi Law University and with support from The High Seas Alliance. Ponce cited “the principle of the common heritage of mankind to guide the new legal regime for BBNJ, including access to and sharing of benefits of marine genetic resources.” She also stressed that “due regard must be given to the rights and jurisdiction of adjacent coastal States, like the Philippines. “And thus, any activity that impacts areas beyond national jurisdiction, directly or indirectly, must be communicated to adjacent coastal States,” Ponce said.

Sen. Ana Theresia Hontiveros on Wednesday called on the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to account for lost fish catch due to the presence of Chinese fishing vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

The senator urged BFAR to probe the alleged overfishing by Chinese fishermen in the WPS amid Filipino fisherfolks’ concerns over the diminishing amount of catch in Zambales.

Fisherfolks from Zambales have said that at least 20 Chinese vessels have been spotted 111 kilometers off San Antonio town in Zambales province.

“BFAR should be able to regularly monitor these areas because we need to account for what is being stolen from us. The agency must be capacitated to do its job, so that we know how much is being withheld from our fisherfolks,” Hontiveros said.

“Protecting our rights in the WPS is not just about our legal jurisdiction, but also about our country’s food security. Government should be able to allow Filipino fishers to freely conduct their business: to catch fish,” she said.

“China owes us a total of over P800 billion for her years of exploiting the WPS. These figures were released even before the recent swarming of over 200 vessels, making it reasonable to presume that China’s debt to our country has ballooned in only the span of three months,” she said.

Hontiveros added, “Our agencies — from the BFAR to the DND (Department of National Defense) — should work together to ensure that we defend our seas and the Filipinos’ way of living.”