Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate condemned the continuous Chinese military presence in the disputed West Philippine Sea, stating that it jeopardizes the “fragile peace” in the region.
Zarate made the statement on Wednesday afternoon, after an exclusive Inquirer story on two Chinese military transport planes photographed on Panganiban Reef, known internationally as Mischief Reef.
Panganiban Reef is located within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the South China Sea.
Read: China military planes land on PH reef
“China is obviously flexing its military muscle and endangering the fragile peace in the West Philippine Sea,” Zarate said. “This is highly condemnable and the Philippines should protest this provocative Chinese action.”
“Also this move of China is a clear violation of the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague and is a way of asserting its contempt of the court as well as its dominance in the area,” he added.
The left-leaning lawmaker also called on the present administration to act on Beijing’s actions.
“The Duterte administration should be taken to task for not doing anything on this blatant violation of our sovereignty. The Philippine government should not take this sitting down,” he said. /ee