MANILA, Philippines – Magpapatuloy ang pagpapadala ng Pilipinas ng maritime at air patrols para igiit ang soberanya at hurisdiksyon ng bansa sa Scarborough Shoal sa kabila ng lumalagong security challenges.
Ito ang siniguro ni National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya kasabay ng Sealight Project online forum ng Stratbase Institute at Stanford University na may pamagat na “Scarborough Shoal: Facing Facts and Exploring Options.”
“Notwithstanding those challenges, and (in) behalf of our fishermen and of course the territorial integrity of the Philippines, we will continue to ramp (our) presence by sending our ships regularly on maritime patrol, as well as air patrols just to fly the flag and to send a very, very strong message that we will not be deterred in asserting our rights and jurisdiction in Bajo de Masinloc,” ani Malaya.
Iginiit din nito na ang territorial integrity ng Pilipinas ay “foundational and non-negotiable.”
“(It) has always been the position of the Philippines since the 2016 Arbitral Ruling,” sinabi ni Malaya.
“Our legal status is very clear and therefore it is the responsibility and mandate of (the) government to implement that legal status (and that it), implement the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, implement the Maritime Zones Law,” dagdag pa niya.
Isasagawa ito sa patuloy na pagpapakita ng watawat sa pamamagitan ng maritime at air patrols.
“Therefore, we must fly the flag and we must stand for international law.” RNT/JGC
