MAKABAYAN senatorial candidate Teddy Casiño condemned today the grounding of a small Chinese fishing vessel in the north reef of the Tubbataha Reef National Park.
“Lightning struck twice in one of our country’s most critical marine ecosystems. A fishing vessel in what is clearly a marine protected area and territory of the Philippines can only be either lost or with malicious intent.
“This case is more likely another attempt at poaching, as was the case in Scarborough Shoal where sharks, giant clams, corals and other rare species were plundered by Chinese fishers. This gross incapacity of the Chinese government to regulate their fishing activity should be a major talking point in our case against them in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea,” said Casiño.
The event came just months after the grounding of the minesweeper USS Guardian in the famous world heritage site, where at least 4,500 square meters of mature coral reefs were destroyed. It is also the latest in a series of tensions in the West Philippine Sea with China that began in a poaching incident in Scarborough Shoal that sparked a standoff between China and the Philippines.
“Nakakalungkot na ipinamalas nanaman ng gobyernong Aquino ang kawalang-kakayahan nito na ipagtanggol ang ating soberanya sa Araw ng Kagitingan mismo. Hindi na nga nito giniit na tanggalin ang impluwensiya at kontrol ng Estados Unidos sa imbestigasyon ng pagkakasadsad ng USS Guardian sa Tubbataha, hindi pa nito matiyak na huwag nang maulit ang ganitong sakuna sa ating mga karagatan,” Casiño lamented.
“Naintindihan ba talaga ni Aquino ang kahalagahan ng Tubbataha Reef? Hindi lang ito sentro ng turismo, ito rin ang puso ng laksang-buhay sa buong Sulu Sea na nagluluwal ng hindi kukulang sa 50,000 na metriko toneladang produktong pangisdaan. It is our duty as signatories of the UN Biodiversity Convention and in the interest of our fisherfolks, among the poorest sectors in the country, to save our seas and hold accountable the environmental criminals who plunder it,” reiterated Casiño.
“This is our chance to assert our sovereignty by not allowing these Chinese criminals to run scot-free. The Aquino government must also step-up its efforts not only to prevent future maritime disasters such as these recent groundings in Tubbataha, but also in holding accountable the perpetrators such as the USS Guardian personnel and these Chinese poachers. We must be resolutely uncompromising in ensuring our territorial integrity and not let ourselves be pushed by these two bully nations,” ended Casiño.
Casiño is the author of House Resolution 1420 directing the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the reported incursions of China into the Philippine territory, and co-authored House Resolution 3012 condemning the refusal of the USS Guardian to recognize Philippine authority and calling for the cessation of all port calls, warship docking and other military exercises by US Forces in the Philippines. He has consistently pushed for a reorientation of PH foreign policies towards fair and equitable economic and territorial relations.