Matinding kinondena ng Senado ang patuloy na panggigipit sa mangingisdang Filipino at paglusob ng Chinese vessel sa West Philippine Sea (WPS) sa kabila nang ruling ng International Arbitral Court na pag-aari ng Pilipinas ang naturang karagatan.
Kasabay nito, hiniling ng Senado sa gobyerno ng Pilipinas na kumilos kaagad upang maigiit at pag-secure sa karapatang pang-soberenya ng bansa sa exclusive economic zone (EEZ) alinsunod sa umiiral na international law.
Inudyukan din ng pinagtibay na Senate adopted Resolution No. 718 ang the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na idulog ang patuloy na panggigipit ng China sa Filipino fishermen sa Philippine EEZ at patuloy na paglabag sa landmark July 12, 2016 ruling ng Permanent Court of Arbitration upang malaman ng buong mundo.
Ginawang co-authors ang lahat ng miyembro ng Senado sa pinagtibay na resolusyon.
“We came out with a strong consensus yesterday after discussions with the West Philippine Sea task force, together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff [Gen. Romeo] Brawner, [Jr.] and DFA Sec. [Enrique] Manalo. We never watered-down the resolutions that we filed. We actually strengthened the resolutions that we filed… We strengthened the position of the government. Now, we gave them several options to choose on how to deal with our neighbors in the north,” giit ni Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” F. Zubiri, co-sponsor ng resolution.
“The beauty of this is with proper consensus and consultations among our colleagues, we come out unanimous with these options. We stand by each other and for the country regardless of political color, regardless of where we come from. We are together when it comes to the sovereignty of the country,” aniya.
Kasabay nito, pinasalamatan din ni Sen. Risa Hontiveros, co-sponsor ng panukala, ang kasamahan sa nagkakaisaang pagkilos na hindi lamang gawing pambansang usapin ang isyu sa WPS, kundi tiyakin na magsasagawa ang gobyerno ng kaukulang hakbang na ipunin ang pandaigdigang suporta sa 2016 The Hague ruling.
“This bipartisan effort tells the Filipino people that when it comes to matters of national sovereignty, we will never be bullied into submission,” ayon kay Hontiveros.
“In a nutshell, the Senate wants the DFA to continue holding dialogues with the Chinese government in pushing for recognition and respect of the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its EEZ and in pursuing the formulation of the Code of Conduct for the South China Sea based on international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” ayon pa sa resolusyon.
Inilatag din ng Senado ang ilang pagkilos apra sa DFA na tugunan ang panggigipit sa mangingisdang Filipino, Philippine Navy, at Philippine Coast Guard:
1. Bringing international attention to China’s harassment of Filipino fishermen in the Philippine EEZ and its continued violation of the Hague Ruling and the UNCLOS;
2. Utilizing international fora to rally multilateral support for the enforcement of the Hague Ruling and raise awareness on the real situation in the WPS;
3. Engaging like-minded countries in various international organizations, meetings, and other fora to call on China to respect the Hague Ruling and the UNCLOS; and subject to necessity and prudence;
4. Filing a Resolution before the United Nations General Assembly, to call for the cessation of all activities that harass Philippine vessels and violate the Philippines’ established rights in the West Philippine Sea;
5. Pursuing such other diplomatic modes as the DFA may deem appropriate and necessary.
“It is hereby resolved by the Senate of the Philippines to strongly condemn the continued harassment of Filipino fishermen and the incursions in the West Philippine Sea by the Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels, and to urge the Philippine Government to take appropriate action in asserting and securing the Philippines’ sovereign rights over its EEZ and continental shelf, and to call on China to stop its illegal activities in accordance with the United Nations Convention on The Law Of The Sea and the 2016 Ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration,” ayon sa resolusyon.
Kasabay nito, inihayag naman ni Senador Alan Peter Cayetano, ang pagkakaisa ng mga senador sa pagpasa sa Senate Resolution No. (SRN) 79 na kumokondena sa China.
“Mahirap kunin ang consensus sa 24 na senador na iba’t iba ang perspektibo, pare-parehong nagmamahal sa ating bansa, pare-pareho pong gusto na ma-settle ang issue of course in favor of the Philippines, ng ating territorial rights, sovereignty,” ayon kay Cayetano sa plenary floor nitong Martes ng hapon.
Aniya, ang nagkakaisang boto ng mga senador para sa bagong resolusyon, na ginawa matapos ang closed-door meeting noong Lunes ng gabi kasama sina Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año, at Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner, ay pinalakas ng malalim na diskursong ibinigay sa isyu ng WPS.
Sa isang interview sa media sa Senado, sinabi ni Cayetano: “Hindi naman kami magkakasundo sa 24 na senador kung hindi napakalalim ng diskurso.”
Aniya, bumoto siya pabor sa bagong resolusyon dahil nagbibigay ito ng mas maraming opsyon para sa Executive, hindi tulad ng Proposed Senate Resolution 659 na nag-udyok sa gobyerno sa pamamagitan ng Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) na mag-sponsor ng resolusyon sa harap ng United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) na nananawagan sa China na itigil na ang panggigipit nito sa mga sasakyang pandagat ng Pilipinas sa loob ng WPS.
“For me it’s a stronger proposal kasi mas malawak ito and it also takes into consideration contingencies. This is sober… whether individually and institutionally, the Senate offered its help na makikipagtulungan sa Executive to get the job done. We are happy that this is the best language that we can come up with and this is not watered down,” wika niya.
Idinagdag ni Cayetano na ang bagong resolusyon ay naglalayong manalo ang bansa sa argumento upang makinabang din ito sa WPS.
“We don’t want to just argue. We want to argue to win the argument. And ano ba ang winning the argument? Not only going around the world saying na tama tayo, but also protecting our sovereignty and sovereign rights and enjoying it… Magkaiba y’ung [naunang] resolution, but the intention is the same, which is to address the situation in the WPS,” aniya.
