Senator Francis ‘’Tol’’ N. Tolentino on Wednesday, December 14 urged members of Congress, the country’s maritime security forces and diplomats to ensure that the country’s interests in the West Philippine Sea are protected and enhanced.
In a privilege speech during the last day of the Senate plenary sessionfor 2022, Tolentino cited the November 2022 incident when the China Coast Guard’s forcefully retrieved debris from a Chinese Long March 5B rocket which fell within the Pag-asa Islands Territorial Sea.
The senator said the incident was a gross violation of Philippine sovereignty under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 2016 Arbitral Award. Tolentino noted that Chinese diplomats denied that the incident occurred, claiming that a “friendly” consultation took place, but footage and reports clearly showed the CCG assertively taking the space debris in an area well within sovereign Philippine territory.
He said these incidents cannot be allowed to continue as they not only can potentially harm Filipino fishermen but the CCG’s actions also violate Philippine maritime rights as enshrined in the UNCLOS and the Arbitral Award. Tolentino then urged members of the military and diplomatic corps to continue to denounce the brazen intrusions into Philippine maritime territory and assert the country’s rights.
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