Fishers urge Marcos to assert sea claim vs China in UN assembly
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should assert the Philippines' sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea when he speaks at the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, a group of fisherfolk said Monday.
In a statement, Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) urged Marcos to remind China’s State Council and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to obey the landmark arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing’s expansive claims over a large part of the South China Sea.
Marcos should also urge China to cease its military buildup and reclamation activities in the Philippine waters, the group added.
China does not recognize the landmark 2016 decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
“By highlighting his administration's thrust for food security and agricultural productivity, Marcos should likewise raise the troubles we are facing in utilizing our marine and fishery resources in the Chinese-occupied West Philippine Sea,” said Fernando Hicap, national chairperson of PAMALAKAYA.
“Marcos should not miss this very opportunity to seek international support in recovering our territorial waters and as part of his commitment to boost agricultural productivity and achieve local food security,” he added.
PAMALAKAYA said that China’s aggressive acts in the West Philippine Sea along with large-scale poaching activities result in marine degradation and fish stocks exhaustion.
According to its study, fisherfolk in Zambales province have been losing 70% of their daily incomes since Beijing established a presence in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in 2012.
In his first State of the Nation Address, Marcos said he “will not preside over any process that will abandon even a square inch of territory of the Philippines to any foreign power.”
Marcos’ predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, led a foreign policy pivot to China in exchange for investment pledges.
Malacañang earlier said the president will discuss rule of law, climate change, and food security at the High-Level General Debate on September 20.
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