Proposed Senate resolution seeks diplomatic countermeasures amid China harassment

A proposed resolution urging the government to exert all legal and diplomatic countermeasures against China amid continued tension in the West Philippine Sea was filed in the Senate.

Senate Resolution No. 980 urged all relevant agencies to “exhaust and pursue all the necessary mechanisms… and pursue such other diplomatic courses of action, as may be deemed necessary to put an end to the continued aggression and illegal activities of China in the West Philippine Sea to protect our people and our national territory and ensure peace and stability in the region.” 

The resolution also condemned the “unprovoked aggression, continued harassment, and illegal and dangerous actions” of China in the disputed waters.

It was filed by Senator Joel Villanueva.

This came after a Philippine vessel carrying supplies for Filipino troops stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre suffered "heavy" damage after the water cannon blasts from China Coast Guard (CCG) ships in its approach to Ayungin Shoal on March 23.

The resolution noted that another harassment incident occurred near Pag-Asa island on the same day when a Chinese helicopter hovered close to a group of Filipino scientists, leading one to almost drown.

“China's actions and response to the recent incident in the West Philippine Sea are concerning considering the agreements reached between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and President Xi Jinping in San Francisco,” the resolution said.

In August last year, the Senate also adopted a resolution condemning the continued harassment of Filipino fishermen.

China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its territorial claims overlap with those of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.

In 2016, an international arbitration tribunal in The Hague said China's claims had no legal basis, a decision that Beijing has rejected.—LDF, GMA Integrated News