PH not giving up on Scarborough Shoal – DFA

DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines -The pull-out of Philippine government ships from Scarborough Shoal is not a sign that the country is giving up its claims over the area.

“Of course not. It’s part of our Philippine territory and the basis of our claim is that we have effective jurisdiction and sovereignty over the area,” Raul Hernandez, DFA spokesperson said in a press briefing Monday.

He said that news of the withdrawal of Chinese fishing vessels from inside the lagoon was consistent with the two countries’ agreement to pull-out vessels from inside the lagoon.

“The agreement was to pull-out the ships from inside the lagoon,” he said. “For the ships outside the lagoon, we are looking for consultations with China on this.”

In a statement Sunday, the Chinese Embassy announced that it was deploying a vessel to the shoal to help Chinese fishing boats “pull out safely for shelter.”

“Due to inclement weather and strong tide in the Huangyan Island waters, in order to help Chinese fishermen and fishing boats pull out safely for shelter, Nanhaijiu-115 vessel has set out to the area to provide necessary assistance,” the statement said.

Hernandez said that with the announcement of the Chinese, they were hoping that all their fishing vessels would be out of the lagoon.

Over the weekend, President Benigno Aquino III ordered the pullout of the two remaining Philippine ships from the Scarborough Shoal because of the bad weather. There are no Philippine vessels in the area.

But in a text message to Inquirer.net Monday, the Chinese Embassy in Makati City said it did not make any commitment to remove its fishing vessels from a lagoon in the Scarborough Shoal.

“There is not such a commitment,” Zhang Hua, spokesman of the Chinese Embassy, told Inquirer.net in a text message Monday.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert del Rosario on Friday said they were waiting for China to fulfil its commitment to remove fishing vessels in the lagoon of the Shoal.

When asked by media about the DFA’s comments on the denial made by the Chinese Embassy, Hernandez said “we have to talk to them about it.”

Hernandez said that they would see whether they would be sending ships back, citing the increasing bad weather and a new storm forming.

Hernandez said they remained optimistic that tensions would ease in the area and that diplomatic talks would resolve the issue.