Group renews call for July 12 to be declared 'West Philippine Sea Day'

Calls for July 12 to be declared as "West Philippine Sea (WPS) Day" were renewed by advocates on Friday as the country marked the 8th anniversary of its Arbitral victory against China at the Hague. 

Atin Ito, the group that launched a civilian mission in the disputed territory, made the call in a program held at the Boy Scouts Circle in Quezon City.

“It’s been eight years since the country’s momentous victory on the international stage. And we’re here to do more than commemorate. By declaring July 12 of every year as 'West Philippine Sea Day,' we strengthen the collective memory of our fellow Filipinos and remind one another that the stakes are very real,” said Atin Ito co-convenor and Akbayan President Rafaela David.

“The consequences impact our economy, our national security, and the lives of the people that depend on the West Philippine Sea for their livelihood,” David added.

A Senate Resolution calling for the annual declaration of July 12 as "National WPS Day" was filed by Senator Risa Hontiveros last year, with the Senator arguing that such declaration would “weaken China’s spurious claims over our own territories.”

China, on the other hand, has been persistent in its attacks against Filipino vessels, fisherfolk, as well as coast guard and military personnel, including firing of water cannons and ramming of boats, as well as using bolos to drive Filipinos away.

The escalation reached a level wherein a Philippine Navy personnel lost a finger during the scuffle since the Chinese vessel was apparently trying to pin the Philippine vessel.

Most recently, the Chinese coast guard also deployed its “monster ship" in Escoda Shoal, about 140 kilometers from mainland Palawan.

“The fact that the bully needs to send its 'monster ship' just shows how insecure it has become. No monster will intimidate us, eclipse the truth or defy international law. We are a nation of monster slayers. And as we have done in the past, so shall we do again,” she said.

Rigthful ownership

Senator Hontiveros, for her part, said the declaration of July 12 as West Philippine Sea Day also fortifies the country’s position that it will never waver amid China’s repeated aggression.

“We should celebrate WPS Day every year, not just to remember our 2016 win, but also as a way to assert our just and rightful ownership of the WPS," she said.

"This is also an opportune time to show our biggest aggressor, China, that the Philippines will stand as one in the fight for our sovereignty,” added Hontiveros. 

The recent Japan-Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement, Hontiveros said, is a welcome development in the country’s consolidation of multilateral support from the international community.

“I also hope that we can gather more security agreements with other like-minded countries that want to de-escalate the tensions in the WPS. Politics and diplomacy should take the helm. Not water cannons or military-grade lasers or artificial islands,” Hontiveros added.

Bayan Muna chairperson Neri Colmenares agreed, saying that the Philippines’ unprecedented legal victory against China is a significant precedent that can be used by the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries to form an alliance against China’s aggression.

“Bayan Muna has long proposed the conduct of joint maritime and air patrols led by ASEAN countries being trampled by China such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. These joint patrols, however, must be civilian in nature to stem the flow of human trafficking, drugs, smuggling and destruction of the marine environment in the South China Sea, which could stop China’s expansion but without escalating tension,” Colmenares said.

Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on said the Philippines remains committed to the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes in the West Philippine Sea despite "unlawful aggressions" in the region.

The Hague

The Philippine government, then led by President Benigno Aquino III, sued China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2013 due to China's repeated aggression within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone in the West Philippine Sea as provided under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas. 

The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines and junked China's expansive claims. It also ruled that Panganiban (Mischief) Reef, Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal and Recto (Reed) Bank) are within the Philippines' EEZ and that Bajo de Masinloc, locally known as Scarborough shoal, is a common fishing ground.

Beijing, however, continues to shrug off the ruling.

—VAL, GMA Integrated News