PCG says China flag raising at Panatag Shoal 'unlawful'

Following the flag-raising rites performed by personnel of the China Coast Guard (CCG) in the area, an official of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) maintained that the Philippines has sovereign rights over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.

- By GHIO ONG

In a post on his X account yesterday, PCG spokesman on West Philippine Sea (WPS) issues Commodore Jay Tarriela wrote: “The ceremonial flag-raising by China Coast Guard officers at Bajo de Masinloc underscores the continuing unlawful activities of the People’s Republic of China in the West Philippine Sea,” referring to the Philippine traditional name of Panatag.

He cited the “unanimous 2016 Arbitral Award under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” which declared that “China had unlawfully interfered with the Philippines’ traditional fishing rights at the shoal” and that “China’s claims of historic rights had no legal basis where they conflicted with UNCLOS.”