THE PHILIPPINE government should consider filing Writ of Kalikasan charges against China for its island-building activities on maritime features in South China Sea, a congressman said on Monday.
“Among the response options should also be the filing of a Writ of Kalikasan against China for the destruction they have brought upon Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef), Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal), and Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), to name a few,” Manila Rep. Joel R. Chua said in a statement.
These should include maritime claims against China before the Philippine admiralty courts in Subic municipality and Palawan province, he added.
Around 6,200 acres of coral reefs along maritime features in South China Sea have been damaged by island-building activities, with China being responsible for 75% or 4,650 acres of the degraded area in the waterbody, according to an Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative report in 2023.
Escoda Shoal, located 75 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan island, is the closest feature reportedly damaged by China due to island-building activities, Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson Jay Tristan Tarriela said in an X post on Friday.
“After more than three weeks of monitoring, the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) has… observed that crushed corals were dumped and it is likely that the maritime features were altered,” Mr Tarriela said, referring to the physical characteristics of the Escoda Shoal during low tide.
“I don’t want to speculate or alarm the public but for me, this is the closest, which is why it’s very alarming,” Mr. Tarriela said in a media briefing on Saturday.
China claims more than 80% of the South China Sea based on a 1940s nine-dash line map, which has since been voided by a UN-backed tribunal court in 2016.
The ruling said Beijing has violated Philippine sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone by building artificial islands within the waterbody’s features.
“Over the past many months and years, enough evidence has been available to support the filing of the Writ of Kalikasan,” according to Mr. Chua’s statement.
“China has played the largest role, destroying or severely damaging at least 21,183 acres of coral reef — and likely much more — through island expansion and giant clam harvesting,” the 2023 Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative report stated.
The Philippine government has also enough evidence to support its freedom of navigation disruption case against Beijing before the Subic and Palawan admiralty courts, Mr. Chua said.
Tensions between Manila and Beijing have worsened in the past year as China’s coast guard continues to block resupply missions to a grounded ship off Second Thomas Shoal.
“It is time to assert our sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea through the legal and diplomatic means available,” said Mr. Chua. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
