By Joyce Ann Rocamora | Philippine News Agency
The Philippine government continues to reject China’s declaration of Bajo de Masinloc as a “nature reserve,” warning Beijing against implementation of any measure in the feature.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) issued the statement on Tuesday as a response to China’s release of “management measures” concerning the supposed conservation of the atoll, which prohibits fishing activities and bars entry into the area “without prior approval,” among others.
DFA Spokesperson for Maritime Affairs Rogelio Villanueva Jr. said in a briefing, “The DFA has already issued a statement protesting the declaration by the China State Council of Bajo de Masinloc as a natural nature reserve.
So, in the same manner, we reject this issuance of the different agencies from China, and we call on China to refrain from implementing any measure, to withdraw their issuances, and respect the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with international law, particularly the 2016 Arbitral Award.”
State-run Xinhua News Agency said the new rules were jointly issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, China Coast Guard (CCG), and Hainan provincial government.
The measures follow Beijing’s announcement in September 2025 of plans to unilaterally establish a national nature reserve at the feature.
Assertion of territorial rights
The Philippines has sovereignty and jurisdiction over Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, which is situated only about 124 nautical miles off mainland Zambales.
Last month, the Philippine government formally deposited with the United Nations its official nautical chart of Bajo de Masinloc and its surrounding maritime zones.
Villanueva said the submission provides clarity on the Philippines’ position and serves as a “valid exercise of Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction” over Bajo de Masinloc.
He told the media, “It serves as an official notice of the geographical extent of our applicable authority and jurisdiction. And, as we all know, it, of course, explains or conveys that the applicable principle is the use of normal baselines on Bajo de Masinloc.
And from there, we are able to project the maritime limits of Bajo de Masinloc and the legal status of the enforcement that we are going to undertake.”
The deposit was made pursuant to Article 16 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which requires coastal states to give due publicity to official charts or lists of geographical coordinates showing the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
The feature generates a territorial sea extending up to 12 nautical miles from its normal baselines and a contiguous zone extending from 12 to 24 nautical miles, as stated in Sections 2(b), 5, and 6 of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act; Articles 3, 33, and 121 of UNCLOS, as well as the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award. (PNA)
