By Brian Campued
The National Maritime Council (NMC) on Saturday expressed support for the Department of National Defense (DND) for its rejection of recent statements by China regarding the West Philippine Sea (WPS), reaffirming the Philippines’ commitment to a rules-based international order in the contested regional waters.
The NMC’s statement came after the DND on May 20 rejected the latest statements of the Chinese Ministry of National Defense criticizing activities conducted by the Philippines in Pag-asa Island and Lawak Island, which are part of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in Palawan.
The council said that the Philippines’ continued administration and development efforts in the area “are legitimate exercises of governance intended to improve the welfare, safety, and livelihood of Filipinos living and working in these communities.”
“These efforts reflect our responsibility to care for our people and uphold lawful activities within areas under Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction.”
The NMC echoed DND’s statement, reiterating that China’s “excessive maritime assertions” in the South China Sea, including areas within the WPS, have no legal basis under international law.
“Territorial claims based on expansive maritime assertions and unfounded historic claims are not legally supportable under international law,” the council said, noting that the 2016 Arbitral Award already invalidated China’s so-called “nine-dash line” claims.
“The Award remains final and legally binding on both China and the Philippines, as States Parties to UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” it added.
In its earlier statement, the DND noted that the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which issued the landmark arbitral ruling, also found that China’s land reclamation and construction activities in the South China Sea caused severe environmental damage, and that certain Chinese actions unlawfully interfered with the Philippines’ sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone.
On March 26, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order No. 111, directing the NMC to adopt a standard set of Philippine names for 131 features of the KIG, including Pag-asa and Lawak Islands.
The largest island in the KIG, Pag-asa Island, serves as the Kalayaan municipality’s official seat of government and administrative center.
Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. hailed troops stationed on Pag-asa Island, commending their professionalism, discipline, and dedication in upholding Philippine sovereignty despite difficult and isolated conditions in the area.
“We recognize that what you are doing here in the Kalayaan Island Group is maintaining peace in this part of our country. You are putting your lives on the line to preserve peace and protect our freedom,” Brawner said during his visit to KIG on Friday.
-jpv
