PH urges China to stop illegal activities in Mischief, Subi reefs

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The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday called on China to halt its illegal occupation and activities in Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef) and Zamora Reef (Subi Reef), maintaining that the Philippines exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction over these areas.

This came after the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Chinese forces fired multiple flares at an unarmed PCG aircraft conducting a routine maritime domain awareness (MDA) flight over the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) on Monday.

According to the PCG, before landing on Pag-asa Island, the aircraft was challenged over the radio by Chinese forces illegally occupying Zamora (Subi) Reef, which then fired flares in its direction.

Chinese forces illegally occupying Panganiban (Mischief) Reef also reportedly repeated the same actions.

The DFA stressed that China’s island-building on both features violates Republic Act No. 12064 or the Philippine Maritime Zones Act, as well as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), as confirmed by the 2016 arbitral award.

“We call on China to cease its illegal occupation and activities in Panganiban Reef and Zamora Reef immediately, and to abide by the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award,” the DFA said.

The agency also said that China’s island-building “does not change the features’ legal status as a low-tide elevation.”

“As low-tide elevations, the Philippines exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the features, and these can neither be the subject of a sovereignty claim nor capable of appropriation under international law,” the DFA added.

Following the incident, the DFA vowed to continue asserting the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea, and push for the country’s legitimate rights and interests in the maritime domain.—LDF, GMA News