Kiko Pangilinan condemns latest Chinese bullying in West Philippine Sea

Then Senator Francis Pangilinan answers questions from the media in this file photo taken in Quezon City on May 22, 2017. INQUIRER / EDWIN BACASMAS

MANILA, Philippines — Former Senator Kiko Pangilinan on Wednesday condemned the “aggressive” and “irresponsible” move of China in its latest harassment of Philippine vessels in Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea.

Pangilinan pointed out that China has no right to implement such actions as their vessels are within the Philippine waters.

It was around 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday when five Chinese ships reportedly harassed—even firing water cannons—Philippine vessels conducting a routine maritime patrol within Bajo de Masinloc.

READ: West PH Sea: Chinese ships fire water cannon, harass PH vessels anew – PCG

“Sa agresibo at iresponsableng pagkilos na ito ng China, nalagay sa alanganin ang buhay ng mga tauhan ng Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources at Philippine Coast Guard,” Pangilinan, who is gunning for a senatorial seat in the 2025 elections, said in a statement.

(With this aggressive and irresponsible action by China, the lives of personnel from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Philippine Coast Guard have been put in jeopardy.)

“Walang karapatan ang China na gawin ito dahil ito’y karagatang saklaw ng Pilipinas,” Pangilinan added.

(China has no right to do this because it is Philippine territorial waters.)

According to Pangilinan, the government should file a diplomatic protest against the latest harassment, asserting that the incident occurred within the Philippine’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.

He then called on the Philippine Coast Guard to continue and intensify patrols to protect the rights of Filipinos and the country’s territory against the illegal intrusion of an oppressive foreign power.

READ: West PH Sea: Marcos orders continued presence at Sabina after ship pullout

The Philippines has been embroiled in a long-time territorial dispute with China after the latter—through its so-called 10-dash line—claimed ownership of most of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea, which is well within the Philippines’ EEZ.

China’s 10-dash claims have also been effectively invalidated by a July 2016 international tribunal ruling that stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013.

Despite this, the Asian giant continued to deliberately ignore the ruling, consistently encroaching on the Philippines’ EEZ.