Senator urges legal, diplomatic action vs China over South China Sea damage

A PHILIPPINE senator has urged the government to pursue legal and diplomatic measures against China for what she described as ecologically destructive activities in the South China Sea, which she said have inflicted massive losses on the country’s marine resources.

- By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio Reporter

In Senate Resolution No. 85 filed on Wednesday, Senator Risa N, Hontiveros-Baraquel said Chinese activities within the Philippines’ continental shelf and exclusive economic zone (EEZ) might have caused P396 billion in damage since Manila initiated arbitration proceedings against Beijing in 2013. She estimated the annual losses at about P38 billion.

“In the form of reparations, these are funds that can be used to... restore and renew vulnerable marine ecosystems,” Ms. Hontiveros said.

The senator accused China of violating the Philippines’ sovereign rights by destroying reefs, building artificial islands and tolerating large-scale harvesting of endangered species such as giant clams in disputed waters. She said these activities undermine both food security and environmental sustainability.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

‘The Philippines can leverage its 2016 arbitral victory to mount legal and diplomatic pressure on China for environmental reparations, said Josue Raphael J. Cortez, a diplomacy instructor at the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde’s School of Diplomacy and Governance.

“The ruling includes the fact that the reefs and marine biodiversity as a whole were severely impacted by the reclamation, construction and extraction initiatives of China,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “This is despite the latter’s knowledge that these belong to the Philippines, and that an arbitration was ongoing regarding the two countries’ maritime entitlements.”