MANILA, Philippines – Between 2017 and 2019, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) dutifully compiled images that, according to them, prove how destructive Chinese activities have been in an already fragile marine environment.

These images were submitted to the country’s highest offices under former president Rodrigo Duterte: the Office of the President, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF WPS). 

What did they do after seeing those photos? 

“I don’t know,” said Commodore Jay Tarriela, the PCG’s spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea during a press conference on Monday, May 20.

Assistant Director-General Jonathan Malaya, spokesperson for the National Security Council (NSC), said as much. Malaya was part of the interior department under the Duterte administration. 

For the first time, the NTF-WPS, this time under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., publicized the photos – taken from 2017 through 2019 – that showed the “large-scale harvesting” of giant clams, destruction of critical marine habitats, and harm on marine life.

Tarriela said the photos and video show “the real behavior of China” even before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office. 

The Philippines’ approach to its superpower neighbor has changed dramatically from the previous Duterte administration to the current Marcos administration. If Duterte promised a “pivot” to China and “status quo” in the West Philippine Sea, Marcos has promised to work with China on shared goals while also “pushing back…[if] jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea are questioned or ignored.” 

After seven years, Tarriela said, the Philippines is making the photos public as part of its “transparency strategy” or its policy to publicize China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea, or the part of the South China Sea that’s within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ). 

“It’s for Filipinos to understand that it’s not true what they’re saying – that China’s aggressive actions, environmental destruction, harassment of Filipino fishermen, is only happening under this administration. The objective of this is to give the right information to the Filipino people,” Tarriela told a press conference. 

Malaya, who said he “anticipated” a blanket denial from Beijing, dared China to open up the shoal to “international scrutiny by a third party.” 

China has maintained a constant presence in the shoal since 2012, following a standoff between Philippine and Chinese government vessels. 

According to the 2016 Arbitral Award, the shoal is the traditional fishing area for Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese fisherfolk. But Filipino fishermen have been unable to enter its lagoon or the opening to the lagoon, since a Chinese government vessel is almost always deployed there. 

The Philippines has been looking to filing another case against China, this time over the degradation of the marine environment in the West Philippine Sea, but Malaya said the government is still “collecting evidence.” 

China claims that, under the previous Duterte administration, the Philippines supposedly agreed to maintain the status quo in the West Philippine Sea. In Scarborough Shoal, this meant that Filipino fisherfolk would be allowed in the vicinity of the shoal and that China would not construct on the high-tide elevation. 

The deal – dubbed a “gentleman’s agreement” by Beijing – is the subject of a probe in the House of Representatives. – Rappler.com