MANILA, Philippines- Kinondena ng mga mambabatas ang panibagong insidente ng Chinese intrusion kung saan ilegal na pinasok ng mga Chinese national ang Benham Rise sa Luzon.
Ayon kina Albay Rep. Joey Salceda at ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro, hindi dapat palampasin ang nasabing insidente at dapat igiit ng Pilipinas ang karapatan nito sa nasabing lugar.
Dalawang Chinese research vessels, ang Haiyang Dizhi Liuhao at Haiyang Dizhi Liuhao, ang namataan na gumagala sa lugar noong Marso 1, ang nasabing ilegal na pagpasok ay kinumpirma ng American maritime expert.
“The West Philippine Sea might be a condominium among our neighbors. But China has absolutely no place in the Benham Rise. That’s exclusively ours. They’re intruders — pure and simple,” wika ni Salceda.
“Secretary Teodoro is taking the correct approach of boosting our technological capabilities in both aerial and maritime patrolling and defense. Moving forward, what we must do is not merely patrol but enforce our rights in the area,” dagdag pa nito.
Sa panig ni Castro, sinabi niyang dapat aksyunan ang insidente. Aniya, ang ganitong mga pangyayari ang dapat na tinututukan at binabantayang mabuti ng pamahalaan at hindi ang pagtutok lang sa pag-amyenda ng Konstiyusyon.
“The Marcos government should concentrate more on these incursions and stop wasting time on charter change that could even make strategic parts of our resources owned by China or other foreign powers,” ani Castro.
“While Chinese maritime intrusions are often observed in the disputed South China Sea, the presence of Chinese vessels in the northeastern part of the Philippines is a clear violation of our sovereignty. The objective of these vessels is yet to be verified, and it is crucial for the Philippine authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into their activities,” giit pa niya.
Ang Benham Rise ay deklarado bilang protected food supply exclusive zone, tinuturing itong resource-rich area ng bansa. Gail Mendoza
