Phl Raises Concern Anew on WPS Situation

The Marcos administration again voiced concerns over "actions by other countries" that have endangered lives at sea and infringed on Philippine sovereignty, as it hosted the latest round of negotiations for an ASEAN-China Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

- By PIA LEE-BRAGO

The meeting of the Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which is tasked with undertaking the COC negotiations, was held in Manila on April 9-11. The JWG-DOC is co-chaired by Malaysia and China.

"The Philippines voiced its concerns on the situation in the West Philippine Sea, especially with regard to recent incidents that posed risks to Philippine vessels and personnel, and actions by other countries that infringed on the Philippines' sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction," the DFA said.

According to the DFA, negotiations touched mainly on paragraphs in the draft COC, including the so-called milestone issues, that highlighted the commitment of ASEAN and China to conclude a substantive and effective COC as soon as possible.

"The meeting was an opportunity for the Philippines to strongly call for the need to adhere to international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award," the DFA said.

The Philippines also reiterated its commitment to resolve disputes peacefully and to pursue constructive diplomatic approaches to managing differences at sea.

In 2023, the foreign ministers of ASEAN and China adopted the Guidelines on Accelerating the Early Conclusion of the Code of Conduct and agreed to work toward concluding the COC within three years. The next round of negotiations will be held in Malaysia later in the year.

The Philippines slammed China for dismissing developments and incidents in the South China Sea as mere "theater" staged under the direction of other countries.