Position Paper ON THE WEST Philippine SEA Dispute PDF

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The West Philippine Sea is the part of the South China Sea that belongs to the Philippines but China is claiming it as its own....

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POSITION PAPER ON THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA DISPUTE

Patriotism is having the courage to fight against injustice. Given this circumstance, I want to express my vehement objection over the government's decision of allowing China to take over the West Philippine sea. On 12 July 2016, after a 3-year process in pursuing the case against China, Philippines won its exclusive rights over the West Philippine sea as proclaimed by the Permanent Court of Arbitration and declared China's claim invalid because there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources, in excess of the rights provided for by the Convention, within the sea areas falling within the 9-dash line. Despite this legal proof that the West Philippine Sea belongs to the Philippines, China continues to violate our rights in our Exclusive Economic Zone. The 1987 constitution provides a law that the waters around, between, and connecting the islands of the archipelago, regardless of their breadth and dimensions, form part of the internal waters of the Philippines.(ref. 1987 Constitution Article I sec. I) I express my concern with the violations of China in our territory and the toleration of the Government in these unlawful acts. In particular, I want to address the following issue. NEGLECTED RIGHTS Our legal rights to the West Philippine Sea are being disregarded by the government as China is still invading our territory by building new research facilities in their large man-made islands in the West Philippine Sea — Kagitingan Fiery Cross and Zamora Subi Reef. “The research facilities, which are under the Integrated Research Center for Islands and Reefs of the Chinese Academy Sciences (CAS), feature a number of labs on ecology, geology and environments, the report said.” (Frances Mangosing, 2019) “One really glaring and still unresolved story—a story without a just ending yet is precisely those of 22 fishermen who were basically hit and run by a Chinese vessel,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros said at an online forum. She is pertaining to the 22 filipino fishermen whose boat was rammed and sent sinking by Chinese vessels inside the Philippine territory a year ago. Despite being demanded to serve justice for the filipino fishermen, the administration sided with China and referred to the issue as a "little maritime accident." The constitution is always supreme and must be applied in all aspects. I firmly stand with the Constitution's supremacy. I cannot condone this treasonous act of this Government, because if I do it is like allowing myself to live in doom under the rule of fools.

REFERENCES: https://globalnation.inquirer.net/186253/china-launches-new-facilities-in-west-ph-sea-just-asworlds-eyes-fixed-on-covid-19 https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/1987-constitution/ https://rappler.com/nation/philippines-china-ruling-case-west-philippine-sea https://globalnation.inquirer.net/140358/philippines-arbitration-decision-maritime-dispute-southchina-sea-arbitral-tribunal-unclos-itlos https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/879.Plato...