Tubbataha Reef is in the middle of the Sulu Sea, a body of water that is indisputably within Philippine territory. To reach the marine park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from the West Philippine Sea, a fishing boat has to pass through the Mindoro Strait, or past islands in Palawan, or sail around the southwestern tip of the province near Sabah before entering the Sulu Sea.
It’s bad enough when a US Navy minesweeper, supposedly equipped with sophisticated underwater detection equipment, runs aground and destroys large tracts of the reef. Some quarters have voiced suspicions that the USS Guardian’s sailors went on R&R even before reaching shore and were caught either drunk or napping when the ship struck the reef.
The US ship, at least, had Philippine government clearance to be in the Sulu Sea. What’s a Chinese fishing vessel doing in Tubbataha, so far away from its homeland? The weather has been clear and fine for many weeks so the vessel and its 12-man crew couldn’t have been swept inland by strong winds or tides late Monday night when it struck the marine sanctuary.
Unless Beijing is also including the Sulu Sea and Palawan within its so-called nine-dash line – an area that covers nearly the entire South China Sea, leaving other countries with enough coastal areas only for beach resorts – it should deal decisively with its poachers. The new Chinese leadership has reiterated the country’s commitment to peaceful development, vowing that China will be a responsible player on the world stage. Beijing can start in its own backyard, where it can promote regional peace by telling its people to stop poaching, especially corals, sea turtles and other endangered marine species.
Philippine authorities, for their part, should get serious about improving the country’s maritime patrol capability, especially along the western seaboard. Priority should have been given to protecting Tubbataha after the USS Guardian disaster. Yet here we are, facing yet another environmental disaster in the World Heritage Site. Poachers intrude into our waters because they can – and we can’t stop them.