MANILA, January 23 ------ China should honor its commitment to deescalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea, an official from the National Security Council said after the Chinese Coast Guard officials drove away Filipino fishermen within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The actions of the Chinese Coast Guard against Filipinos who were gathering seashells in the Scarborough Shoal in mid-January took place despite a “bilateral consultation mechanism” meeting between Manila and Beijing, noted NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya. “Nagkaroon ng pag-uusap… na pababain ang tensyon sa West Philippine Sea. Sana tapatan nila ng aksyon sa ground yung ating napag-usapan between the Philippine government and the Chinese government,” he told state television PTV. “Sana moving forward, ma-implement yung pag-uusap kasi it is not in the interest of the Philippines and China na tumaas ang tensyon ngayon 2024,” he added.
Malaya joined other Philippine officials in condemning China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea. “Ikinababahala natin ito and we condemn this latest provocative action ng Chinese Coast Guard sa ating mga mangingisda,” he said. “Nagpapasalamat tayo sa kumuha ng video kasi kung hindi dahil sa video na yun hindi makikita ng ating mga kababayan na sila ay pinipigilan,” he added.
The Philippine Coast Guard earlier reported that at one point, the Chinese Coast Guard held on to the Filipino fishermen's boat and said they should return the shells before leaving. Malaya said it remained unclear if the Filipinos returned the shells they collected before they were allowed to leave the area.
The Philippines earlier announced that it would develop man-made islands in the West Philippine Sea where Filipino troops can be stationed to patrol the country’s waters. This month, China held military drills in the South China Sea as the United States and the Philippines conducted their own joint exercises in the same waters. The drills followed a month of tense standoffs between China and the Philippines in disputed reefs in the area that saw a collision between vessels from the two countries and Chinese ships blasting water cannon at Philippine boats.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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