Duterte lauded for stance on Pag-asa Island

MANILA, Philippines — Former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario welcomed President Duterte’s pronouncement that he will not allow the Chinese to occupy the Philippine-controlled Pag-asa Island in the disputed West Philippine Sea.

“On his recently stated position regarding the Philippine defense of Pag-asa, our President is manifesting his own brand of leadership which in this instance is both appropriate and admirable,” Del Rosario said in a text message to The STAR.

“Let us all be one in standing behind him,” he added.

Duterte on Thursday stressed that Pag-asa is part of Philippine territory and asked the Chinese to lay off on the island.

“This is not a warning, this is just a word of advice to my friends, since we are friends, China. I will not plead or beg, but I’m just telling you – lay off Pag-asa because I have my soldiers there,” Duterte said.

“The Pag-asa Island belongs to us. Is that our base? China would never do that, I assure you, unless China wants a war with us. I will not allow them to also occupy Pag-asa. No, of course not,” he added.

Duterte made the statement amid reports that Chinese vessels have been spotted in the area.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has protested the presence of the said Chinese vessels, describing it as a violation of Philippine sovereignty.

“The presence of Chinese vessels near and around Pag-asa and other maritime features in the KIG is illegal,” the DFA said in a statement, referring to Kalayaan Island Group that includes Pag-asa.

“Such actions are a clear violation of Philippine sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction, as defined under international law including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” it added.

A senior US defense official said the presence of large numbers of Chinese vessels near Pag-asa Island and islets occupied by the Philippines is “a concern.”

Joseph Felter, deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, said the US is troubled “by any aggressive activity by any country in the South China Sea, in this case China. We see that as of concern.”

“In this case, China’s activities are of concern. It seems to be somewhat aggressive and provocative and we feel that they’re unnecessary and unwarranted,” said Felter, who was in Thailand on Friday to attend a meeting of defense officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

He noted that the US does not take a stand on various conflicting claims in the South China Sea. But the US commitment to the Indo-Pacific region involves working with allies and partners to keep the seas free and open and ensure that “no country’s sovereignty is undermined,” he said.

Crimes against humanity

Also on Saturday, Del Rosario and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales maintained the International Criminal Court (ICC) is the legal platform where Filipino citizens can exact accountability for injustices related to Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

“Today, our Filipino countrymen are increasingly focused on the presence of hundreds of Chinese vessels operating around Pag-asa that serve to harass, bully and persecute our fishermen,” they said in an opinion published in The STAR.

“To our poor fishermen, however, Beijing’s actions may be viewed as crimes against humanity, given that they are planned by the Chinese government, accepted by the Chinese government and nothing is done by the Chinese government to stop these persistent inhumane actions against a civilian population of over 300,000 Filipino fishermen who appear helpless against a powerful goliath,” they added.

Del Rosario and Morales said Beijing continues to commit atrocious actions in the disputed territories despite the Philippine victory in the Permanent Court of Arbitration that clarified the country’s entitlements in the South China Sea.

The two former officials earlier sent a communication to the ICC asking its prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, to initiate a preliminary examination on alleged crimes against humanity committed against Filipino fishermen by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua.  – With AP