Manila, Philippines – Despite Beijing’s false narrative, it continues to send fighter jets close to Philippine territory, prompting Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela to call it absurd claims.
This follows Beijing’s deployment of fighter jets over what it calls part of Huangyan Island on Monday.
But these location, 600 nautical miles from coast of the Philippines, that is clearly within the country’s Exclusive economic zone, something that Tarriela said a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 Arbitration ruling.
The PCG also spotted three Chinese Coast Guard vessels near Zambales on November 30.
The PCG radioed the CCG vessel and asserted the Philippines’ right to the claimed territory.
Tarriela insisted that the presence of Chinese ships within the Philippine EEZ is illegal under the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and international laws.
The PCG assures they will not tolerate any attempt to change the status quo in the waters off Luzon.
For Filipinos Do Not Yield Movement Chairman Emeritus Dr. Jose Antonio Goitia, the Philippines’ continued assertion of its rights in the West Philippine Sea is based on the law.
Something that reflects the truth and in a diplomatic approach.
According to data from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Manila has filed almost 50 diplomatic protests against Beijing, this year alone.—Alvin Pelobello, Eurotv News