Published May 25, 2021, 8:39 PM
Malacañang has no information about the reported lingering presence of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea based on data obtained by a United States-based technology firm.
The Chinese vessels spotted by local authorities at the Julian Felipe Reef on March 2021 (Photo courtesy of National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea)
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque has deferred to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to verify the reported stay of the foreign vessels in local waters and decide whether or not to file a diplomatic protest.
“Unang-una, hindi ko po alam kung totoo iyan because ang naging sistema na po natin ay ang National Task Force on West Philippine Sea ay bibigyan po tayo ng data kung ano ang nangyayari sa West Philippine Sea. Wala naman po akong natatanggap na ganitong report (First of all, I don’t know if that is true because our system is the National Task Force on West Philippine Sea provides us with data on what’s h
China’s WPS incursions won’t invalidate Philippines’ legal claims, says Roque LLANESCA T. PANTI,GMA News Palace spokesperson Harry Roque on April 22, 2021 China s unabated reclamation activities and deployment of military vessels within the Philippines exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea will never invalidate the Philippines legal claims, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Thursday. Roque made the assertion a day after the National Task Force on West Philippine Sea reported that 287 Chinese militia vessels were seen scattered over various features of Kalayaan municipality in Palawan based on results of a May 9 maritime patrol. Maski anong gawin nila riyan [no matter what they do], might is not always right. Territories acquired through conquest will never ripen to title, Roque said.
287 Chinese militia vessels spotted across Kalayaan waters task force
Published May 12, 2021 1:40pm
Updated May 12, 2021 2:13pm
File photo Close to 300 Chinese militia vessels were seen scattered over various features of Kalayaan municipality in Palawan, a government task force on West Philippine Sea said Wednesday, citing results of a May 9 maritime patrol. In a statement reporting the results of the patrol conducted by Area Task Force - West, the National Task Force on West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said 287 Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels were seen in Kalayaan waters both within and outside the Philippines exclusive economic zone. Bigger groupings of CMMs were sighted at the artificial islands of China while some where observed near islands occupied by the Philippines, it said.
Duterte jet ski promise maybe a joke but threat on fishers safety is not PAMALAKAYA
Published May 12, 2021 4:56pm President Rodrigo Duterte s campaign promise may have been a joke but the effects of continued Chinese presence on Filipino fishermen s livelihood and security should not be taken lightly, fisherfolk group PAMALAKAYA said Wednesday. In his weekly Talk to the Nation, Duterte said he was just joking when he made a promise in the 2016 elections that he will ride a jet ski to go to Spratlys Island and tell China that the West Philippine Sea belonged to the Philippines. Duterte was answering the query of fisherman Carlo Montehermozo when he made the promise back in 2016.
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.