As citizens we stand for our sovereignty. It’s time to push back!
July 17, 2020It has been four years since the landmark Philippine victory over the South China Sea arbitration case. The Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines, effectively invalidating China’s baseless “nine-dash” claim over the waters. The ruling upheld the Philippines’ right over the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The international community hailed this historic decision, itself a moment of national pride for Filipinos.
However, our legal triumph has not been brought to fruition because of the government’s acquiescent posture to Beijing. Thus, we continue to see Chinese encroachment in our territories. They are staunch in their expansionist efforts, building man-made islands, and scaling up their military presence. The tension in the West Philippine Sea is escalating with continuing militarization, harassment of our fisherfolk, and destruction of marine resources in our own exclusive economic zone.
A recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey found that 7 out of 10 Filipinos believed that the government should assert our rights in the West Philippine Sea. In the same survey, 4 out of 5 Filipinos said that the Philippines should form alliances with other nations and prepare to defend our territorial rights.
It is evident that we, the Filipino people, value our sovereignty.
In another SWS survey, 3 out of 5 Filipinos believe that China concealed life-saving information regarding the spread of the Wuhan virus. The survey also showed that Filipinos want to hold China accountable for its actions. Despite these clear indicators of the will of the people, the government has announced it will keep our ‘friendly relations’ to China and effectively shelve the arbitral ruling.
CitizenWatch Philippines joins the call of all Filipinos who are in favor of asserting our sovereignty. Now is the time to stand up for our national interest. Filipinos are courageous people and will not be intimidated by foreign hostility.
As our nation grapples the public health and economic crisis we are facing, China’s threat in the West Philippine Sea worsens our national predicament. As citizens, we must acknowledge and value our rights.
CitizenWatch Philippines calls on our government to listen to the will of the people. Our fight against this pandemic is in itself a fight for our sovereignty. Let us uphold our arbitral victory and assert our territorial rights.
It’s time to push back!
Orlando Oxales
Lead Convenor, CitizenWatch Philippines