But Roque said,“We talked this morning (Wednesday) and we’re fine.”
Last Tuesday, Roque said that Julian Felipe Reef is outside of the Philippine EEZ, which is contrary to the position of the DFA that it is located 175 nautical miles off Bataraza, Palawan.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), of which the Philippines and China are signatories, islands and waters located 200 nautical miles from the territorial baselines of a coastal country is within its EEZ.
Later on Tuesday, Roque retracted his statement on Julian Felipe Reef, saying that the Philippines is never giving up its claim on it as it is part of the country’s EEZ.