The document is a position paper on the West Philippine Sea dispute between China and the Philippines submitted by four students from Pasig City Science High School. It summarizes the long-standing territorial dispute over islands in the South China Sea, including China's "nine-dash line" claim and the 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in favor of the Philippines. However, China continues to violate Philippine sovereignty by militarizing islands and harassing Filipino fishermen. The West Philippine Sea is an important economic and cultural asset for the Philippines that it has every legal right to claim.
The document is a position paper on the West Philippine Sea dispute between China and the Philippines submitted by four students from Pasig City Science High School. It summarizes the long-standing territorial dispute over islands in the South China Sea, including China's "nine-dash line" claim and the 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in favor of the Philippines. However, China continues to violate Philippine sovereignty by militarizing islands and harassing Filipino fishermen. The West Philippine Sea is an important economic and cultural asset for the Philippines that it has every legal right to claim.
The document is a position paper on the West Philippine Sea dispute between China and the Philippines submitted by four students from Pasig City Science High School. It summarizes the long-standing territorial dispute over islands in the South China Sea, including China's "nine-dash line" claim and the 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in favor of the Philippines. However, China continues to violate Philippine sovereignty by militarizing islands and harassing Filipino fishermen. The West Philippine Sea is an important economic and cultural asset for the Philippines that it has every legal right to claim.
The document is a position paper on the West Philippine Sea dispute between China and the Philippines submitted by four students from Pasig City Science High School. It summarizes the long-standing territorial dispute over islands in the South China Sea, including China's "nine-dash line" claim and the 2016 ruling by an international tribunal in favor of the Philippines. However, China continues to violate Philippine sovereignty by militarizing islands and harassing Filipino fishermen. The West Philippine Sea is an important economic and cultural asset for the Philippines that it has every legal right to claim.
A position paper on the West Philippine Sea dispute between China and
Philippines
Submitted by:
Abner, Clark Vincent A.
Largosta, Chloe B.
Relos, Jenine Keren E.
Rentoza, Mary Angela C.
Submitted to:
Ms. Michelle Oteros
11 - Cayley
January 23, 2023
The West Philippine Sea or as what others call it 'South China Sea' which is located at
the west side of the Philippine archipelago, has been home to tons of marine life, coral reefs,
and even oil resources. However, in April of 2012, China started claiming Spratly Islands and
Scarborough Shoal, islands located at the West Philippine Sea, which caused the long reigning
dispute between Philippines and China. China claims that they have historical rights over the
mentioned places and that these places are included in the so-called '9-dashed line', a line map
that was created more than 400 years ago, during the time nations claimed oceans and seas. In
spite of that, these claims weren't settled through the law but through an unethical battle. Last
2016, the Hague tribunal unanimously upheld the Philippines' claim to territorial sovereignty
over the disputed West Philippine Sea. Therefore, the West Philippine Sea belongs to the
Filipinos and to the Filipinos only. China's claims over the territory lacked legal and customary
support.
With the growing interdependence of the world's economies, cultures, and populations, it
opens a revenue to a lot of deals, opportunities, transactions, and international relations. While
it may provide advantages and aid, it may also be a window for growing conflict and dispute.
Given this circumstance, Filipinos face a continuing saga of longstanding conflicting claims in
the West Philippine Sea. As citizens of the Philippines, we firmly believe that we have each and
every right upon the West Philippine Sea and China has zero claim nor power over Filipinos and
our territory. In a 501-page decision, after pursuing the case against China for three years, on
July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration declared that the Philippines had won its
exclusive rights to the West Philippine Sea (Lee-Brago, n.d.). In addition to this, China's claim
was also asserted to be invalid for the reason that it lacked the legal justification to assert
historical rights to resources in excess of those guaranteed by the Convention in the sea areas
falling within the 9-dash line. Apparently, despite the formal declaration of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), China is still actively persisting and continues to violates the rights of our
own land. In May 2018, US intelligence reported that China has installed anti-ship cruise
missile, surface-to-air missile systems, and electronic jammers in three of its outposts in the
Spratlys (DS Law, 2018). Moreover, a China Coast Guard ship tried to drive away a Filipino
fishing boat by blocking its path on its way to one of the sandbars near the Philippine-occupied
Pag-asa (Thitu) Island in the West Philippine Sea, a recent display of Beijing’s continued
assertion of its maritime agenda in the disputed waters (Mangosing, 2021). On account of
China’s persistent violation and harassment to Filipino fishermen, Philippines should assert its
territorial jurisdiction over the contested areas under our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
recognized by UN under 2016 ruling on UNCLOS and strengthen our presence by deploying
coast guard vessels and navy vessels to deter any bullying of Chinese vessels illegally entering
Philippines’ EEZ.
The Philippines being favored by the PCA in the Arbitral Tribunal in the South China Sea
Arbitration is paramount evidence for Filipinos to rightfully utilize our resources that are part of
the Philippines’ EEZ. However, the Arbitral Tribunal did not address issues pertaining to
territorial sovereignty over the countries' disputed maritime features due to jurisdictional
restrictions. The Spratly Islands, for example, are among the marine features in the South China
Sea that are the subject of claims from China, the Philippines, and other coastal states in the
area. The tribunal did not decide who has the ownership of these features. On the bright side,
many issues of this dispute had been addressed by the PCA to mitigate the improper clash
between the two countries. Issues like the so-called nine-dash line as China’s claim to historic
rights in the West Philippine Sea and the legality of Chinese activities in the area of the West
Philippine Sea are some of the focal matters discussed in the tribunal (Geneva Graduate
Institute, 2017). Fish and other aquatic resources are abundant in the West Philippine Sea. It is a perfect
example of the Philippines' diverse marine life. Numerous fish, coral, seagrass, and other
marine life species have been found in its seas, and these discoveries have helped scientists
better understand the complexity, fragility, and resilience of the planet. These habitats act as
breeding grounds for schools of fish that populate the oceans across Southeast Asia, in addition
to providing the fish that fill Filipino fishing boats (U.S. Embassy Manila, 2020). The West
Philippine Sea not only holds a rich biodiversity but, is also where bountiful islands, like the
Spratly, are located. The Spratly Islands are abundant in natural resources, are strategically
situated along significant trade routes, are lucrative as fishing grounds, and are a source of
other natural resources, including oil. Claiming the Spratly Island, with its remarkable features, is
an economic boost for one’s country. China is an ever-developing country that is known to crave
success like candy. The Chinese are obsessed on asserting their sovereignty over the West
Philippine Sea, which reflects their desire to increase their territory as an economic boost.
However, their assertion of the nine-dash line from 400 years ago is insufficient and outdated. It
initially noted that this area, in which China claimed rights to living and non-living resources,
developed in the long historical course. Their claim largely overlaps with territories that would
make up the Philippines' EEZ. (Geneva Graduate Institute, 2017). In 2012, the Scarborough
Shoal Standoff, in which Chinese surveillance vessels blocked the Philippine Navy from
apprehending Chinese fishermen anchored inside the atoll, brought tensions over competing
claims to a head, despite diplomatic resolutions. China has disregarded the decision, alleging it
lacked legal force. The PCA ruling, however, promotes the Philippines in the eyes of the world
and increases diplomatic pressure on China.
The West Philippine Sea is a cultural and economic asset of the Philippines. It continues
to provide for the livelihood of countless Filipino fishermen. Until there is no convincing proof
stating that the West Philippine Sea is not a Filipino territory, the Filipinos shall continue to fight
for their rightful claims over the disputed sea.
In conclusion, the West Philippine Sea remains in possession of the Filipinos only. The
claim of China about the territory being a part of the nine-dash line which is under their historical
rights has long been proven to be weak and unacceptable. But despite the much support the
Philippines have gained from several organizations and other fellow countries, China refuses to
be defeated. The conflict between the two countries regarding this matter has developed into
several physical fights targeting innocent Filipino fishermen who only want to do their jobs. It is
important to understand just how significant the West Philippine Sea is to our country’s culture,
lifestyle, and values. Losing it does not only mean losing one of our riches, but it can also lead
to a decrease in employment, as well as food production and water supply. The Philippines have
every legal right to claim ownership of the West Philippine Sea, and the dispute on this matter
should have been long over.
References:
Mangosing, F. (2021). Filipino fisherman narrates harassment by China Coast Guard near Pag-asa Island. [online] INQUIRER.net. Available at: https://globalnation.inquirer.net/193321/filipino-fisherman-narrates-harassment-by-china-coast-g uard-near-pag-asa-island.
Xu, B. (2020, July 15). China’s Maritime Disputes. Council on Foreign Relations.
