MANILA (April 16, 2012) - Sen. Joker Arroyo yesterday called on President Aquino to launch a “diplomatic offensive” in the region by tapping the support of the United States and its allies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the latest conflict with China.

Arroyo said he wants a collective stand against the apparent intrusion of China into Philippine shores through Scarborough Shoal.
Arroyo said ASEAN failed to issue even a “resolution of concern or sympathy” during the standoff with China over Scarborough, which the Philippines calls Panatag Shoal.

He noted that the Philippines did not even get any commitment from other ASEAN states during the recent summit in Cambodia when President Aquino pushed for a common stand on maritime disputes in the region.

In the case of the US, Arroyo said it should at least come out with a categorical statement on the dispute “even if we know that they will not likely go to war with China for us.”

He said the Scarborough incident “showed we don’t have reliable allies at all.”

Arroyo described as “embarrassing” the country’s deployment of the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, a retired ship donated by the US to the Philippine government without its high-tech equipment.

Arroyo added that Malacañang should start coordinating with other agencies of the government, including the Senate and the House of Representatives, to be able to provide a holistic approach to resolving the issue after consensus is reached among all stakeholders.
Losing both

Arroyo expressed concern that the Philippines might eventually lose the Spratlys and even Scarborough to China, in the same manner Sabah was acquired by Malaysia with British backing several decades ago.

Arroyo lamented that the country was unable to get any show of support from the US, which has been the Philippines’ traditional ally amid its implementation of the so-called Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

“Ang nakakalungkot dito (What is lamentable), is this: ang laban (the battle is) Spratlys and Scarborough. In both instances, at the moment, we are left on our own. Once upon a time, we had a claim in Sabah… but that was it, we lost it. What if the situation happens again to China? What would we do?” he said.

Because of this, Arroyo said Aquino should discuss the matter with the US government to enable the Philippines to get a commitment of support over the Spratlys and Scarborough Shoal.

He said the US Seventh Fleet is still operating in the region, and the Philippines can possibly ask the US for help about securing its economic sea lanes.

“The Philippines should start talking with the Americans. This is the problem. That is the solution,” said Arroyo, noting further the US’ silence on the security problem in the region.

Arroyo lamented the US failed to even give a statement of support for the Philippines in the middle of the standoff over the shoal.

“America will not go to war over Scarborough Shoal and Spratlys. They are withdrawing from Iraq, even in Pakistan. Even in Syria, they don’t want to be involved,” he said.

Arroyo also called for a stop in politicking among enemies and allies of the Aquino administration, saying the more pressing problems on power rates and the territorial standoff between the Philippines and China should be given top priority.
Intrusion of China

into Phl shores
On April 8, the Navy monitored eight Chinese fishing vessels anchored inside the shoal while conducting a security patrol.

The Gregorio del Pilar, the Navy’s largest warship, was deployed on the same day to protect the country’s sovereignty.

Scarborough, which the Philippines calls Panatag Shoal, is 124 nautical miles from the nearest base point in Zambales. It is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone based on the UNCLOS, to which China is a signatory.

The Gregorio del Pilar sent a boarding team on April 10 to inspect the fishing vessels and collect evidence of their catch. The team found illegally collected corals, giant clams and live sharks inside the vessels.

However, two Chinese surveillance ships placed themselves between the Del Pilar and the fishing vessels, preventing the arrest of the erring fishermen.

The Del Pilar was “relieved” by Coast Guard ship BRP Pampanga on April 12 reportedly to allow the warship to load supplies.
On the same day, China sent a third vessel, which the military said is from the Chinese ministry of agriculture.

On Saturday, China boosted its presence by redeploying a ship into the shoal that had been thought to have already left the area.
An aircraft believed to be Chinese was also reported to have buzzed over BRP Pampanga, the only asset that the Philippines used to assert its claim in the area.

The DFA said a white or civilian Chinese ship – presumably the one that returned – harassed a Philippine-registered vessel with nine French nationals conducting archaeological surveys.

It was also reported on Saturday that all but one of the Chinese vessels involved in the standoff had left Panatag Shoal.

Seek UN help
Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone also urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to seek the help of the United Nations (UN) in resolving the standoff.

“The UN should step in because what is being violated by the Chinese is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS. The UN should assert that international laws should be respected and obeyed by the international community,” he said.

Evardone said under UNCLOS, countries that are archipelagoes like the Philippines could claim waters 200 miles from their shorelines as their exclusive economic zone.

“Scarborough Shoal is just 124 miles from Zambales and is clearly within our country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone. It is thrice that distance from China,” he said.

Evardone said even just in terms of distance, the Philippines has more right to claim Scarborough Shoal than China.

Evardone, however, said he is not surprised that the Chinese are declaring ownership of this group of rock formations off Zambales since they are also claiming the Spratly group of islets, which are farther away off Palawan.