MANILA, Philippines – SINABI ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na walang halaga ang 1990 document na inilathala ng Chinese Embassy in Manila na tinututulan ang territorial claims ng Pilipinas sa Scarborough Shoal.
inihayag ito ni DFA Maritime Affairs Spokesperson Rogelio Villanueva Jr. dalawang araw matapos na ipresenta ng Chinese embassy bilang legal na ebidensiya ang isang correspondence sa pagitan ni dating Philippine Ambassador to Germany Bienvenido A. Tan, Jr., at German radio operator Dieter Löffler.
“As regards the recent letter posted by the Chinese Embassy in Manila, the DFA will not engage in conjecture or speculation over a document of uncertain origin and authenticity, and certainly without value,” ang sinabi ni Villanueva.
“There is no merit in debating supposed documentary artifacts produced by third parties and presented as posts on social media, especially if these third parties have vested interests and willfully misconstrue and misrepresent established facts,” aniya pa rin.
Sa isang dokumento na may petsang February 5, 1990, sinabi ni Tan kay Löffler, “According to the Philippine National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, the Scarborough Reef or Huangyan Dao does not fall within the territorial sovereignty of the Philippines. It is 10 miles off the line drawn under the Treaty of Paris; however, the area is within the 200-mile Philippine economic zone.”
Muli namang iginiit ni Villanueva na hindi lamang ang Scarborough Shoal ang inaangkin ng Pilipinas kundi maging ang Kalayaan Island Group.
“The Philippines likewise consistently exercised and upheld sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its archipelago and other territories, including Bajo de Masinloc and the high-tide features of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG), which is incontrovertible and firmly founded on international law and effective administration,” diing pahayag nito.
Winika pa ni Villanueva na “the Philippines has exercised its sovereignty through detailed hydrographic surveys, government correspondence, the demolition of Philippine authorities of illegal structures by the Philippine authorities, and designation as target range of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
“Sovereignty is not merely claimed — it is exercised. The Philippines has done precisely that, consistently and without interruption,” aniya pa rin. KRIS JOSE
