Aquino: Panatag Shoal still ours

From the Manila Bulletin (Oct 23): Aquino: Panatag Shoal still ours

The Panatag Shoal remains a legitimate part of the Philippine territory so Filipinos can go freely to the area, President Benigno S. Aquino III said Wednesday.

Aquino rejected speculations that the country has already lost ownership of the Panatag Shoal, also known as Scarborough Shoal.

“We are not allowed to go to Scarborough Shoal seems to be an oxymoron. It is ours and there’s no rule that says we can’t go there,” the president said in a forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) at the Manila Hotel.

Asked if he wanted China to withdraw from the Scarborough shoal, Aquino said that the area is 120 miles from Masinloc, Zambales and that is “clearly within our EEZ (exclusive economic zone).”

“If we are supported or upheld by the arbitration, then, that is a clear provision,” he said.

The country earlier complained against China’s incursion into its waters before an international tribunal. Manila wants the United Nations-recognized tribunal to declare illegal China’s move in the potentially resource-rich waters.

Aquino said he hopes concerned parties would adhere to the rule of law in resolving the maritime dispute.

“Everybody has committed to work under international law amongst them UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and UNCLOS gives us the EEZ to which both China and other countries are signatories including the Philippines,” he said.

However, the president said the government will not remove the concrete blocks reportedly placed by China in the Panatag Shoal since it does not hamper with shipping activities.

Based on government findings, Aquino said the “very, very old” concrete blocks does not pose any immediate danger to Philippine vessels or those that would transit the area.

“If they do not present a danger to shipping or to any ships transiting the area, then there might not be a need to remove these concrete blocks at this time,” he said.

He said the concrete blocks located in the shallow part of the shoal are “not a new phenomenon” and “doesn’t seem to give us any reason to have an increase in anxiety.”

Despite Philippines’ claim over Panatag Shoal, China has kept presence in the area with its surveillance and fishing vessels.

http://www.mb.com.ph/panatag-shoal-still-ours-pnoy/