HANDS OFF THE PHILIPPINES | Activists picket Chinese consulate over Spratlys aggression

From InterAkyon (Jun 4): HANDS OFF THE PHILIPPINES | Activists picket Chinese consulate over Spratlys aggression

 Nationalist groups led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan picketed the Chinese consulate in Makati City on Thursday demanding that China end its increasingly aggressive incursion into Philippine territory.

“We are serving notice to the Chinese government that Filipinos from different walks of life are united in opposing China’s incursions in Philippine waters. We will defend our sovereignty against the absurd claim that the entire South China or West Philippine Sea belongs solely to China,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said in a statement.

To enforce its claims over the Spratly Islands, China has been reclaiming and building structures, including what the military says appear to be bases, on several reefs within the disputed territory.

Aside from this, Chinese coast guard vessels have bombarded Filipino fishermen to drive them away from Scarborough Shoal, also known as Panatag Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc, which belongs to the jurisdiction of Masinloc town in Zambales, and has warned away Philippine -- as well as American --military flights.

The Philippines has filed for arbitration of the dispute before the United Nations and mounted a diplomatic effort to get international support for its position.

Reyes demanded that China “respect the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea which defines the extent of the Philippines exclusive economic zone and territorial waters. It is also the basis of the memorial filed before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea. We seek peaceful solutions but we are not passive. We will resist if pushed back.”

“What China has done to Panatag Shoal and Mischief Reef is an affront to our sovereignty. Filipinos have the patriotic duty to oppose these aggressive actions as well as to call on our own government to defend our territorial integrity,” Reyes said.

However, he said they do not support US intervention in the dispute, saying this goes against national interest.

“We are not pro-China nor pro-US. We are pro-Philippines. We advocate an independent foreign policy in dealing with disputes,” Reyes stressed.

To stress this point, Bayan will join planned rallies on June 12, Independence Day, in front of the Chinese consulate and the US embassy in Manila spearheaded by the nationalist group P1NAS, which includes former Senagtor Rene Saguisag, actress-director Bibeth Orteza and Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares.

“We don’t want to be caught in the middle of two big powers trying to outdo each other in the region. Neither China nor the US respects our sovereignty. Neither will protect our national interests. It will be up to the Filipinos to find a way to fight smart,” Reyes said.

He hinted that they may target China’s economic interests in the country for protests and call for the nationalization of Chin’s 40 percent stake in the National Transmission Corp. or TRANSCO.

 http://www.interaksyon.com/article/111759/hands-off-the-philippines--activists-picket-chinese-consulate-over-spratlys-aggression