The reported destruction and hauling off of corals at Rozul Reef that is part of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) may be part of a bigger and long-term plan by China, which has deployed once again dozens of boats in the area, according to Senator Francis Tolentino.
These activities may be a prelude to a grand reclamation plan and the construction of artificial islands, as China has done in other parts of the WPS, he said.
When there are no more corals, the reclamation may proceed at full speed, Tolentino explained.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday confirmed a weekend military report of severe damage in Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal, caused by the Chinese Maritime Militia. Rozul Reef is at the northern part of Ayungin Shoal, site of recent face-offs between PCG and the Chinese Coast Guard and militia ships trying to block Philippine resupply missions for soldiers at the BRP Sierra Madre, the iconic Philippine sentinel in the WPS.
China had the past two decades built several artificial islands in the WPS where it erected airports and military facilities.
Tolentino, chairman of the Senate committee on maritime and admiralty zones, had conducted his panel’s first hearing last week, where he and several senators stressed the significance of setting such clear-cut zones in order to strengthen the security cluster’s efforts to protect Philippine rights over its exclusive economic zone.
Tolentino said the Philippine government should not lose time in mounting a strong complaint over the destruction and seizure of the corals and other precious marine resources, acts that violate the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), he said.
The government can also seek compensation for damage to the natural resources.
The complaint may be lodged with the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea or ITLOS, or the International Court of Justice. Manila may also seek arbitration, said Tolentino, a noted lawyer.
The senator announced he would call about four more hearings on the proposed Philippine maritime zone law. The outcome of such is a new map that will more clearly lay down the jurisdiction and territory of the Philippines in the WPS areas being claimed by other countries.
Authorities earlier said this new map is timely, given China’s recent unveiling of its 10-dash-line map, which expanded the controversial nine-dash-line map. The disclosure was met with protests from several countries, notably India.
Damage assessment
The Marcos administration should conduct further damage assessment on corals in the Rozul Reef (Iroquios) in the WPS amid reports of possible cases of coral harvesting in the area.
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said, “There is a need to identify if the swarmed area was subjected to coral harvesting, clam hunting, or any military activities that destroyed its vast coral reefs,” Pamalakaya vice chairman for Luzon Bobby Roldan said in a statement.
He said the Marcos administration should take the matter urgently by tapping marine scientists and other experts to extensively assess the damage and its possible long-term implications to the local fishery production.
Image credits: Bibo Nueva España/Senate PRIB
