Alyssa Jane Evangelista POLITICS AND

GOVERNANCE

PCAS – 01 – 101P Prof. Ian Morscardo

The video discussion by Justice Antonio T. Carpio (Ret.) Senior Associate Justice entitled Defending
Philippine Sovereign Rights in the West Philippine Sea, is about the foregoing facts and issues of different
countries with China on how South China Sea was not really belong to China historically. South China Sea
is one of most important water ways that has almost 5.3 trillion dollars in ship borne goods traverse the
South China sea every year. Twelve percent of fish catch of the world were in South China Sea, it was
really rich in fishery. This is because of Spratley island where fish spawn and lay their eggs. South China
Sea is also rich in methane hydrates, a lump of minerals found in the bottom of the sea. This methane
hydrate could actually power the Chinese economy for at least 100 years. South China sea also has
hundreds of small rocks above water high tide which means it is entitled for 12 nautical mile territorial
sea around it. So, if you own a tiny rock that is above water high tide, you own everything within that
territory and this is why countries is fighting over those small rocks. In the claim of China, they stated
that they are the first one to discover, name, explore the resources, and first to exercise the sovereign
power over them. They also alleged that they visited Philippines 600 years ago, even before Magellan
did. This narrative was thought everyone in China. However, all of it was a false news. A lot of countries
had objected including the Philippines. In fact, there are creeping expansion in the South China Sea from
1947 to 2017.

I really believe China planned everything in order to get control of the South China Sea. Through the
dynasties of China, their southernmost territory was Hainan. In 1946, after World War II, when Japanese
left south China Sea, they began to occupy the Paracels in South China Sea. Then they soon occupied Itu
aba island, a rock located in Spratley island. In 1987, when UNESCO conduct a global oceanic survey,
China did volunteer to help UNESCO by putting radar weather station in fiery cross reef. Everyone
applauded China, not knowing it is their tactics to own the fiery cross reef. Then they soon claim Subi
reef and Mischief reef, and Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines. Also, the Luconia shoals from
Malaysia. In 2015 to 2016, China started to build air and naval bases to the seven geologic features in
Spratley. In 2017, they claim the Sandy Cay from Philippines which is only 2 nautical miles away from
Pagasa, our largest island in spratley. It was blatantly clear how they gradually occupied it and asserted
their ownership of it. And what is more upsetting about it was how the Duterte administration continued
to deny it during that time despite the South China Sea's clear, slow-motion encroachment. I keep
watching every piece of evidence they use in the conversation, and my rage grows. From Balabac island,
Chinese territory is just 64 km away. From Bulianao, Chinese territory is just 70 km away. From Yami the
southernmost territory in Batanes, Chinese boundary is 44km away. According to Wang Yi, the foreign
minister of China, China and the Philippines are very closed neighbors and were just separated by a
narrow body of water. But how was that feasible given some locations in the Philippines were within a
less a hundred kilometers from Chinese territory. I find it quite unbelievable that the Duterte
administration never protested to this and actively supported the claim that we were their near
neighbors and that, to this day, we still have not reclaimed what is rightfully ours. According to tribunal’s
ruling, Itu Aba is only entitled of 12 nautical miles territorial sea which means it is not capable of human
habitation, as well as Scarborough Shoal, since it is really small and can barely fit 6 to 10 persons it is also
not capable of human being. Also, China’s claims that they more than 350 nautical miles including reed
bank that was almost 800 nautical miles away from Hainan. The tribunal already said that they have no
legal basis for China to claim historic right to resources within the sea areas falling in their nine-dash line
map. In actuality, each state is only allowed to claim a total of 350 nautical miles, which includes the 12
nautical mile territorial sea, the 200 nautical mile EEZ from the coast, and an additional 150 nautical mile
EEZ edge. Every state is limited to that; you cannot make any additional claims. Despite this, China had
developed a large number of false narratives that they continued to propagate to its population. They
continuous to feed themselves with lies that have no legal basis. They keep telling themselves
unfounded stories to nourish themselves. The phony sovereign markers that they planted in Paracels in
1937 were the first of three convincing proofs of their deceit. Second, Hainan is their southernmost
territory, and the islands in the South China Sea are not even shown on their atlas anient maps. The third
was the path taken by Zheng He, who is said to have traveled to the Philippines 600 years ago. It is
depicted there all the way to the treacherous Malaca Straight and on to Central Vietnam. In actuality,
Zheng He never went to the Philippines. Furthermore, I suppose that because the people in China might
overthrow the officials, they are now afraid to take back what they have told the people. Even though we
Filipinos have a wealth of documentation, such as treaties between the United States and Spain, a map
of the Philippines drawn in 1734 by Father Pedro Murillo Velarde that clearly shows Scarborough Shoal
and Spratley were parts of the Philippines under Spanish rule, and a ruling by the tribunal finding that
China's claim is without legal foundation.

China planned meticulously and exerted every effort to conquer the South China Sea. Their lies and false
narratives, which they continue to propagate among their people, were planned from the Paracels up to
Sandy Cay of the Philippines, which they occupied within the South China Sea. They knew exactly what
they were doing. And we Filipinos we are all aware of their superior strength to ours. Some claim that
Duterte never objected to it since it could cause further issues, such as a war. But why is it that we never
even saw one of them make a single move to defend what is rightfully ours, besides one of the laws
embodied in UNCLOS is that war is not an option and has never been an option. Due to all of these
events, we Filipinos should also take an action. I concur with the lecturer in the video says that we
should encourage all navies of the world to exercise freedom of navigation in the high seas and EEZ of
South China Sea, ask the people of the world to help Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and
Brunei explain to the Chinese people that China has no historic claim to sea, continue resorting to the
rule of law as embodied in UNCLOS that War is not an option and has never been an option. These steps
can significantly aid the current investigations into the factors causing China's slow-motion expansion in
the South China Sea, allowing us to finally reclaim the territory that is legally ours and the property of
other nations.