CHR: Asserting sovereignty in West PH Sea is protection of fishers’ rights
THEY LOST EVERYTHING The fishing boat Gem-Vir 1, shown at home in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, in this file photo, was anchored at Recto Bank in the South China Sea when it was hit by a Chinese vessel on Sunday night. It sank but the crew survived, although, according to the boat owner, they lost their catch and everything else on the boat. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Assertion of the country’s rights over the West Philippine Sea is tantamount to the protection of Filipino fishers, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said on Friday.
CHR Spokesperson lawyer Jacqueline de Guia said government should stand its ground on the recent incident where 22 Filipino fishermen were left at sea by a Chinese vessel, that allegedly collided with a fishing boat.
“We believe that asserting our sovereignty and the right of our fishers to rightfully gain economically from the resources found off the coast of Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea, a country’s exclusive economic zone, protects our people’s right to self-determination,” De Guia said in a statement.
“Not only does the exercise of this right underscores the parity of peoples in rights and opportunity, but also serves as a guiding principle for other nations to respect others’ sovereignty and international political status,” she added.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday confirmed that the Filipino fishing boat collided with the Chinese vessel in an area near the Recto Bank on Sunday, June 9.
The incident drew condemnation from various sectors, including Lorenzana.
Senator Richard Gordon on the other hand said the Chinese vessel violated several international laws — including one that obliges ships and boats to rescue the crew of the other boat involved in a collision.
READ: China fishing vessel sinks Filipino boat after ‘collision’ in West Philippine
READ: Bayan slams ‘lack of assertion’ of gov’t in maritime row
READ: Robredo backs probe into sinking of PH fishing boat
READ: Gordon condemns Chinese crew’s inhuman treatment of Pinoy fishermen
The CHR has rallied behind these government agencies including the Department of Foreign Affairs, which sent China a diplomatic protest.
“The Commission on Human Rights echoes the condemnation of the Department of National Defense, Department of Foreign Affairs, and other concerned Philippine officials and parties against the acts of a Chinese fishing vessel,” De Guia said.
“To this end, we affirm the need to protest the said incident before the Chinese government, and for our own government to appropriate robust measures that will protect the rights of all Filipinos—be it on land or at sea,” she explained.
Since President Rodrigo Duterte took office, ties between China and the Philippines have turned warmer after years of strained relationships due to maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea. Critics however slam Duterte’s foreign policy as nothing but a subservience to Beijing. (Editor: Mike U. Frialde)
READ: PH wins arbitration case over South China Sea
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READ: Duterte: PH enjoying relationship with China
