A diplomatic solution to row over Panatag Shoal

I WRITE in connection with the Panatag Shoal standoff. Filipinos should not ignore this issue. We should not leave this problem to our government alone. Let’s be involved and act as one, and in our own little way call for a peaceful and diplomatic solution.

Yes, our government must stand firm on its position to seek a diplomatic solution and bring the issue to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos) unilaterally. It’s important to exhaust all possibilities to solve this matter in a friendly manner.

The eight Chinese vessels were caught by the Philippine Navy illegally fishing off the Panatag or Scarborough Shoal, and they had with them large quantities of assorted endangered species, such as corals, giant clams, live sharks. Clearly, they were not just undermining our sovereignty, they were also violating Philippine laws on environment conservation. Panatag Shoal is 124 nautical miles from Zam- bales and is well within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Panatag Shoal being an integral part of Philippine territory, it is the Chinese government’s responsibility to immediately withdraw from the area.

International law expert Harry Roque is right: We should not wait for China’s go-signal to go to the Itlos; we must immediately file a complaint on the incursions of Chinese vessels in the Scarborough Shoal (Panatag).

We highly commend our Philippine Navy for always vigilantly conducting maritime patrols to protect our marine resources in the Panatag Shoal and to maintain our sovereignty and sovereign rights.

We must remain steadfast in our defense of our country’s sovereignty. We must voice our condemnation of any attempt to subvert our independence and territorial integrity.