National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año on Thursday denounced China’s plan to establish a nature reserve at Bajo de Masinloc in the West Philippine Sea, calling it “patently illegal.”
“It is patently illegal as it violates UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award, and the 2022 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties,” Año said.
He stressed that the move is not about environmental protection but Beijing’s attempt to justify control over Bajo de Masinloc, which lies within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. “It is a clear pretext towards eventual occupation,” Año, who also serves as National Security Council (NSC) director general, added.
Citing evidence presented before the Arbitral Tribunal, Año noted that Chinese fishermen have been engaged in large-scale harvesting of endangered species and reef destruction in the area since 2016. “To now claim stewardship over an ecosystem that they themselves damaged is both contradictory and misleading,” he said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has also strongly protested the plan, asserting that only the Philippines has the authority to designate a marine protected area in Bajo de Masinloc. The DFA said it will issue a formal diplomatic protest, which Año said has the full support of the NSC.
“The NSC fully supports the filing by the Department of Foreign Affairs of a formal diplomatic protest against this illegal and illegitimate act by the PRC (People’s Republic of China),” Año said.
China’s State Council on Wednesday announced the “approval” of its Ministry of Natural Resources’ request to establish the Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve in Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal.