Atin Ito First Filipino Community Newspaper in Ontario
THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday repudiated China’s claim of “indisputable sovereignty” over the Ayungin Shoal, a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands that is located 105 nautical miles west of Palawan.
“The use of the word ‘indisputable’ is itself disputable for the reason that number one, the Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) says that they don’t have sovereignty over the terrain. It’s very far. So, how can they exercise sovereignty?” AFP spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar said in a weekly forum in Quezon City.
Aguilar’s statement was in response to China Coast Guard (CCG) spokesman Gan Yu’s remarks that China has “indisputable sovereignty” over the Ayungin Shoal, which Beijing refers to as Ren’ai Reef.
In a statement posted on the CCG’s official website, Gan claimed that on Wednesday, two supply ships and two coast guard vessels from the Philippines “intruded into the adjacent waters of Ren’ai Reef in China’s Nansha Islands without the permission of the Chinese government.” “The Chinese Coast Guard strictly warned the Philippine vessels in accordance with the law, tracked and monitored the vessels all the way and effectively regulated them,” he added.
Citing the July 12, 2016 ruling of The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, Aguilar said China’s claims over the disputed waters have already been declared invalid.
“And not a single country is brave enough to say that they are right [to lay claim over the hotly contested waters],” he said. “I can confidently tell you that the morale of our troops in the West Philippine Sea under the Western Command (Wescom) is high, and they are determined to work harder and make sure that the interest of the country is protected.” Aguilar said the resupply missions are becoming “more frequent” to attend to the needs of military personnel in Ayungin Shoal.
“It’s not about confidence because it’s supposed to be regular missions. But I think it’s more of the needs of the people there,” he said.
The National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) on Wednesday announced that another successful rotation and resupply (RoRe) mission has been conducted for the military personnel stationed aboard the BRP Sierra Madre.
The NTF-WPS said the mission was done through the combined efforts of the Wescom and the PCG upon the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
It added that the mission was a success despite attempts by a significant number of CCG and Chinese Maritime Militia vessels to “block, harass and interfere with the routine RoRe mission.”
— Philippine News Agency
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