蜜桃工作室

With Philippine sovereignty at stake, the Senate is flexing its muscles by holding an inquiry starting Friday into China鈥檚 incursions into the West Philippine Sea, known to the rest of the world as South China Sea.

鈥淲e should protect our maritime security, which also means food sustainability and environmental security. Let鈥檚 protect it at all cost,鈥� said Senator Loren Legarda, the chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, in a phone interview yesterday.

The focus of inquiry is not just maritime defense, but also environmental security and protection of maritime resources and the livelihood of the fisherfolk, she said.

鈥淏ut force should never be an option,鈥� Legarda emphasized, even as she called on China to 鈥渞espect our territorial integrity and sovereignty鈥� by 鈥減reventing and avoiding any incursion into our territory.鈥�

Instead of a 鈥渟hooting war鈥� and 鈥渟how of force鈥� between Chinese and Philippine Navy and Coast Guard vessels, Legarda wanted to 鈥渆xhaust all diplomatic means.鈥�

The committee is still drawing up the list of resource persons, although it is clear that Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials and experts in international law will be summoned to the inquiry.

Legarda supported a proposal by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario to submit for UN arbitration the territorial disputes over the Spratlys and Panatag Shoal with China, a move spurned by Beijing, which favored bilateral negotiations.

鈥淲e have rights to our territory, the right to file a diplomatic protest and note verbale, and to issue a statement. Which is what we鈥檝e been doing. We should internationalize both disputes,鈥� she said.