Senator Imee Marcos, chairperson of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chided the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for sending “too many” diplomatic protests against China for incursions and harassments against Philippine Coast Guard and Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Manila has protested to Beijing 172 times this year alone, 48 of which occurred during the first two months of the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.
The note verbale contained Philippine protest to Chinese fishermen and militia’s illegal presence in the WPS, as well as unauthorized conduct of marine scientific research, DFA Assistant Secretary for Maritime and Ocean Affairs Angela Ponce said.
Last year, during the administration of President Duterte, the Philippines protested China’s illegal activities in 216 occasions.
“What’s the point of sending hundreds and hundreds of protests with no palpable success?” Sen. Marcos asked DFA officials during the Senate hearing Thursday.
DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo said all incursions and illegal activities by the Chinese Coast Guard and their militia should be put on record as a way to assert the Philippine sovereign rights and the Arbitral Award that Manila won.
“Nakakahiya na dine-deadma ka. Nakakawala ng dignidad at respeto. Parang di yata maganda ang ganun [It’s getting to be embarrassing; there’s a loss of dignity and respect. That doesn’t seem too good],” Sen. Imee said.
The senator thinks that bombarding China with protests is not a good strategy since as Asians, their “tendency is anti-confrontational.”
The Justice department’s State Counsel Atty. Karla Izavella Nitura-Calugay stressed, though, that the Philippines should continue sending diplomatic protests because it serves its “legal purpose.”
“Otherwise, non-protest means acquiescence,” she explained.
Secretary Manalo said they are looking at sending “omnibus” notes, or a compilation of protests on a series of protests against China.
To complement the sending of diplomatic protests, Manalo said he and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi plan to resume the bilateral mechanism on WPS, which was suspended during the pandemic.
The DFA is also conducting multilateral negotiations with China and members of Asean for a code of conduct. However, Asean and China could not agree on points such as whether the code would be legally binding, as well as the nitty gritty of preventing armed confrontation among law enforcement agencies in disputed areas.
Sen. Imee suggested the DFA could come up with other arrangements such as having joint patrols among claimant countries, or having a code of conduct just among claimant countries.
Atty. Nitura-Calugay said they are not in favor of holding joint patrols in territorial areas or the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), because it might be misconstrued as recognizing the legitimacy of the claims of other countries in the WPS.
Manalo said Brunei has suggested that ministers of claimant countries of South China Sea “meet more often.”