Palawan 3rd District Rep. Edward Hagedorn on Thursday said the Philippine government should launch a joint multilateral maritime patrol with several like-minded and allied States in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Hagedorn has filed a House Resolution urging the Philippine government to “take appropriate action” in securing the WPS through joint multilateral maritime patrols.

Earlier, some Philippine vessels that were on resupply and rotation mission to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal were water cannoned by members of the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) on Aug. 5.

The incident was the latest in a series of “harassment and aggressive actions” by CCG against Filipino fisherfolk and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in the WPS, which is a part of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

In House Resolution No. 1201, Hagedorn said officials from the Philippines and the United States have repeatedly stated their intention to conduct a joint maritime patrol in the WPS “for the protection of the Philippines’ sovereign rights, and the maintenance of regional stability and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea (SCS).”

Hagedorn said the Philippine government should also conduct a joint multilateral maritime patrol with the country’s allied States, which is considered to be a more resolute initiative in terms of asserting the sovereign rights of the Philippines.

“It is also seen to be an effective means to deter unlawful aggression and harassment,” he added.

He said this joint multilateral maritime patrol would also enhance regional and international cooperation which would lead to a more collective response toward security challenges and transnational crimes, such as illegal fishing and piracy.

“There is now an imminent need to shift to a more definitive and concrete action to assert the Philippines’ sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the WPS, deter further harassment, and to uphold and preserve the freedom of navigation and overflight in the SCS,” the resolution read.

The resolution cited the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), customary international law, and the 1987 Philippine Constitution in seeking the joint multilateral maritime patrol in the WPS.

Following the Aug. 5 incident, the Philippine government summoned China’s ambassador and filed a strongly worded diplomatic protest over the CCG’s action.

The Senate has also adopted a resolution that “strongly condemns” the continued harassment of CCG and militia vessels against Filipino fisherfolk and the PCG.

Members of the international community, including the US, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, South Korea, and the European Mission in Manila, have all expressed “serious concerns” over the incident, which appear to undermine the Philippines’ sovereign rights.

On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s Ruling on the WPS recognized the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf under UNCLOS, thereby affirming its sovereign rights over resources in the WPS and rejecting China’s excessive territorial claims. (PNA)

Photo credit: Facebook/coastguardph