PH STAMPS SOVEREIGNTY OVER WEST PH SEA ISLANDS

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) continues to expand the country’s maritime domain awareness in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), this time by establishing command observation posts (COPs) on Likas Island, Lawak Island and Parola Island.

Coast Guard Admiral Artemio Abu said the PCG’s Task Force Kaligtasan sa Karagatan constructed a smart house and installed radio communications on the three islands.

The construction was carried out with the largest Coast Guard contingent in the WPS putting up the five COPs, 30-foot long navigational buoys, on critical islands in the area from May 12 to 14.

Abu said these COPs will optimize the strategic deployment of PCG assets by monitoring the movement of merchant ships in surrounding waters and communicating maritime incidents to the PCG National Headquarters in Port Area in Manila.

“Through these COPs, we improve our capabilities in promoting maritime safety, maritime search and rescue and marine environmental protection,” he added in a statement issued on Friday.

Abu said the activation of these COPs complies with President Rodrigo Duterte and Department of Transportation Secretary Art Tugade’s guidance to support the country’s maritime transportation and shipping industry by promoting maritime safety and maritime security.

Likas Island, Lawak Island and Parola Island are all administered by the Philippines as part of Kalayaan, Palawan.

They are located a few kilometers from Pag-asa Island, the biggest island occupied by the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea and where Filipino soldiers are stationed.

The islands are also claimed by the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The installation of the navigational buoys is a notice to the rest of the international community that the Philippines is asserting sovereignty over the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), according to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

CHR Executive Director Jacqueline Ann de Guia’s statement came on Friday as she lauded the PCG for the installation of the buoys in a bid to ensure safer navigation of ships and assert the country’s sovereignty over disputed waters in the WPS.

The navigational buoys were put up by the Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas Corregidor (AE-891), BRP Bojeador (AE-56), BRP Suluan (MRRV-4406), BRP Capones (MRRV-4407) and Tug Boat Habagat (TB-271).

Citing a ruling of the Supreme Court, de Guia said, “Although the Philippines has consistently claimed sovereignty over the [disputed territories] for several decades, these outlying areas are located at an appreciable distance from the nearest shoreline of the Philippine archipelago.”

China continues to claim sovereignty over the territory, including three other areas.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), however, in a unanimous, 501-page award and an 11-page press release had declared that the Philippines has sovereign rights over the Panganiban or Mischief Reef, Ayungin or Second Thomas Shoal and Recto or Reed Bank of Palawan.

These were awarded to the Philippines because they form part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental reef.

De Guia said the PCA had ruled that China has no historic rights to resources in the South China Sea and that such rights were extinguished to the extent that they were incompatible with the exclusive economic zones provided for under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).

She added that China has no legal basis to invoke the “ninedash line” to push its claim to the disputed territories.

“The CHR lauds the efforts of the Philippine Coast Guard for asserting the sovereignty of the Philippines over the disputed territories where China has constructed artificial islands and interfered with Filipino fishing activities,” de Guia noted.

“No state should deprive our Filipino fisherfolk from carrying out their livelihood in our national territories. The installation of navigational buoys is a notice to the rest of the international community that the Philippines is asserting sovereignty over the Kalayaan Island Group,” she said.

The newly installed buoys are part of the 10 floating markers procured from Spain.

These buoys, which arrived in Cebu from Valencia last May 7, are equipped with modern marine aids to navigation lanterns and specialized mooring systems.

They also have a remote monitoring system that uses satellite technology to transmit data to the PCG National Headquarters in Port Area.

Earlier on Thursday, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino visited one of the country’s farthest detachments in Palawan and urged troops to further strengthen security operations in the area.

In a statement also on Friday, the AFP said Centino flew to Bugsuk Island in Balabac, Palawan, as part of his regular troop visitations, especially to far-flung military bases and detachments.

The military chief thanked troops guarding the detachment in Singkab Port for their dedication to ensuring the country’s safety.

Centino congratulated the soldiers for their contribution to ensuring safe and secure elections last May 9 in the municipality of Balabac.