Fil-Ams celebrate Philippine victory in UN case over China

NEW YORK, USA – Dozens of Filipino-Americans celebrated the victory of the country over China in a bitter dispute caused by Beijing’s aggressive moves to control potentially rich fishing grounds and oil deposits in what Filipinos call the West Philippine Sea.

The estimated 50 demonstrators held up banners in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday, July 12, to denounce what they call Chinese bullying and proclaim that islets and coral reefs such as Scarborough Shoal, an outcrop that is a traditional fishing ground of Filipinos, belongs to the Philippines.

“We are here to celebrate the decision of the UN,” Loida Nicolas-Lewis said in a speech to the crowd taking shelter under a tree due to a broiling noonday sun. She wore a straw hat to shield her from the heat. “We have the rule of law.”

The demonstrators carried neatly written placards saying: “China, Abide by UN Tribunal’s Decision” or “West Philippine Sea Belongs to Filipinos.”

Lewis added in a post on her Facebook wall: “In the end, the UN Tribunal comes thru with a just and wise decision. Because UNCLOS [UN Convention on the Law of the Sea] is clear, 200 nautical miles from the shore belongs to the Country. In this case, it belongs to the Philippines. It is now up to the General Assembly of the United Nations to encourage a peaceful solution to this West Philippine Sea issue.”

In a sweeping ruling, the 5-man tribunal in the Hague said there is “no legal basis” for that 9-dash line where China claimed 90% of the South China Sea, ranging from near its southern Hainan Island down to parts of the oil-rich waters around the Natuna islands owned by Indonesia.

The decision was based on UNCLOS, which both China and the Philippines have signed and ratified.

“China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone by interfering with Philippine fishing and petroleum exploration,  constructing artificial islands and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone,” the comprehensive 497 page ruling declared.

The tribunal said that fishermen from the Philippines and those from China had traditional fishing rights at Scarborough Shoal and that China had interfered with these rights in restricting access. The tribunal further held that Chinese law enforcement vessels had unlawfully created a serious risk of collision when they physically obstructed Philippine vessels.

The demonstrators who attended the rally were in a festive mood, although the heat of a summer sun, which pushed temperatures to 30 degrees Celsius, likely discouraged others from attending the rally.

Lewis congratulated former President Benigno Aquino III for filing the case and expressed confidence in President Rodrigo Duterte’s ability to handle the situation going forward.

“We are now extending the hand of friendship (to China). Let’s talk it over, not war. Let’s allow the UN to make the decision,” she said.

She suggested that the UN take over the artificial islands built by China and to use them in a manner they think is best for the countries in the region.

Lewis’ group has led demonstrations in the United States since 2011 to denounce what it calls Chinese bullying of smaller nations like the Philippines in the dispute over the region through whose waters pass trillions of dollars in trade from the Middle East to Japan and China.

She observed that the Philippines’ neighbors had all kept quiet when Manila filed the case, but most observers now believe they will benefit from the UN decision by filing their own cases against China.

“We have the right to fish, the right to exploit the resources but we can share it 60-40 according to the Philippine constitution,” she said. – Rappler.com

Rene Pastor is a journalist in the New York metropolitan area who writes about agriculture, politics and regional security. He was, for many years, a senior commodities journalist for Reuters. He founded the Southeast Asia Commodity Digest, which is an affiliate of Informa Economics research and consulting. He is known for his extensive knowledge of agriculture and the El Niño phenomenon and his views have been quoted in news reports.