Philippines' letter to UN chief on sea row sent

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines wrote United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon a letter explaining its so-called Triple Action Plan (TAP) in dealing with the disputes with China over the West Philippines Sea and the South China Sea.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday that the letter was also circulated to the 193 member states of the UN, calling the international community to support steps for a peaceful resolution to the potentially dangerous territorial spat.

Libran Cabactulan, Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN, said in a statement delivered before the Sixth Committee on the agenda item "The Rule of Law at the National and International Levels" explained that the TAP is a call for cessation of activities that may further escalate the tension.

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Cabactulan said the plan is "a positive, comprehensive and constructive framework" that combines peaceful initiatives proposed by other countries in handling the maritime claims."

"Our proposed Triple Action Plan contains immediate, intermediate and final approaches to address the provocative and destabilizing activities in the South China Sea," he said, referring to China's recent activities in the disputed waters.

He stressed that the approaches can be pursued as soon as possible without ascertaining merits of the overlapping claims.

The Philippines also proposed a moratorium on the massive reclamation activities of China and the Asian power's move to inhabit land features that were previously unoccupied.

"Let it not be said that some states, by reason of their size, power and might, are exempt from the rule of law," Cabactulan said.

A final approach, meanwhile, entails settlement based on international law, especially through arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"The rule of law anchors the predictability and stability of national and international development and progress. It allows for an environment of peace and security to flourish," the DFA noted.

Cabactulan's statement before the committee also reiterated Ban's call to define and publicize the limits of maritime zones of claimant states.

Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Libran Cabactulan, underscores the Triple Action Plan as a "positive, comprehensive and constructive" framework in dealing with the West Philippine Sea issue. DFA

Chinese experts, however, had rejected the Philippines' Triple Action Plan, claiming that the Southeast Asian nation itself has not followed the initiatives stated in it.

"The Philippines now jumped out or skipped to the final stage to solve the South China Sea by international jurisprudence or arbitration," said Wu Shicun, president of China’s think-tank National Institute for South China Sea Studies.