Envoy to China expects ‘improvement’ in Julian Felipe Reef issue next month
MANILA, Philippines — The situation in Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef — which is currently swarmed by around 200 Chinese maritime militia ships — will likely improve sometime next month, Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana said Saturday.
Sta. Romana gave this assurance without clarifying if, or when, he expects the Chinese ships moored within the vicinity of the West Philippine Sea reef to actually leave the area.
The Julian Felipe Reef is about 175 nautical miles from Bataraza, Palawan — well within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
"I don't want to give a time frame because this is the subject of diplomatic exchange, it's confidential, but I expect it in the coming month, we'll see an improvement in the situation," he said during an interview aired over state-run PTV.
"Our experience in dealing with China on this issue is.... around pa Pag-asa. This has already happened," he said in a mix of Filipino and English.
He was referring to the hundreds of ships flagged by the Armed Forces of the Philippines within the vicinity Pag-asa Island, which is part of Palawan and is one of the largest features of the Spratlys, in 2019.
"We complied, we protested, it was handled through diplomacy, the president even came [to China], because there was a visit then. So, from our experience then, the numbers diminished," Sta. Romana said partially in Filipino.
READ: Chinese militia presence slowed down Pag-asa Island repairs — think tank
While acknowledging that the situation in Julian Felipe Reef is a cause for concern, Sta. Romana urged Filipinos not to panic.
"What's important is that we monitor and follow what China will do. According to them, they are only seeking shelter from bad weather. So we are waiting to [see if] this is a temporary phenomenon," he said.
But China's ships have a tendency to linger on Philippine territory.
In the case of Pag-asa, the vessels flagged in 2019 had actually been there since at least 2018 and were deployed in response to the Philippines' efforts to repair the island.
Satellite images released by US-based Simularity also showed that a large number of Chinese ships have been "mooring, arriving and departing" at the Julian Felipe Reef since mid-December last year and that Beijing has been constructing on Subi Reef since November 2020.
In addition to lodging a protest, the Department of Foreign Affairs released a statement calling on China to promptly withdraw its vessels within the vicinity of Julian Felipe Reef.
"In China, we are having diplomatic discussions to reiterate this message," Sta. Romana said.
Sta. Romana: No connection between China's vaccine donations and WPS issues
The envoy to China further asserted that there was "no way," COVID-19 vaccine donations from China have any bearing on disputes with the regional power over the West Philippine Sea.
"Our China policy is what I call dual track. On the one hand, the issues where we can have cooperation, we move forward, we fast track it. And that includes what we call cooperation on pandemic response," Sta. Romana said partially in Filipino.
But, if China's plan is to soften the Philippines' stance on its sovereignty through donations, Sta. Romana said the country's filing of a diplomatic protest is showing them that there is no connection between the two.
"This is the other track," he said.
"On issues where we have differences or disputes on sovereignty and sovereign rights, we stand our ground and we protest when we need to, we push back when we need to."
It was retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio who said this week that China may be trying to appease the Philippines by donating vaccines while its maritime militia swarms Julian Felipe Reef.
Before him, Sen. Risa Hontiveros in January noted fears, held both in the Philippines and abroad, that China is deploying vaccine diplomacy — or using access to its vaccines — to force other countries to bend to its will.
— Bella Perez-Rubio
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