Villanueva says there's no need for joint investigation on Recto Bank incident
Published Jun 24, 2019 04:31 pm
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senator Joel Villanueva believed that the joint investigation being planned by the Philippines and China into the Recto Bank incident was no longer necessary since the matter was already elevated to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Sen. Joel Villanueva
(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) "I still don’t think there’s a need for a joint probe. We already filed a protest before the UN (United Nations) IMO and other international forum," Villanueva said in a statement Monday. "The international bodies should probe the facts and make a decision on the extent of violation of international conventions with respect to good seamanship," he added. Villanueva reiterated that there was a "clear violation" of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) because the Chinese vessel was fishing within the Philippine's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Being a part of its EEZ, the Philippines has sovereign or exclusive rights over the resources in Recto (Reed) Bank. The senator also noted that another issue was whether or not the Chinese vessel intentionally rammed and abandoned the 22 Filipino fishermen at sea. Villanueva echoed calls for the government to protect the Filipino fishermen in the West Philippines Sea. He also agreed that Philippines should enforce the 2016 arbitral ruling dismissing China's "nine-dash line" claim over the South China Sea. These two, he said, "should have been an immediate priority of the National Security Council especially after the incident." President Duterte has already accepted China's proposal for a joint probe regarding the Recto Bank incident, where a Chinese ship rammed an anchored Filipino fishing boat and left its 22 crewmen at sea. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the joint probe will involve representatives from Philippines, China and a "neutral" third-party country. Opponents of the joint probe, however, argued that it would threaten the Philippines' sovereign rights over its EEZ.
Sen. Joel Villanueva(Senate of the Philippines / MANILA BULLETIN) "I still don’t think there’s a need for a joint probe. We already filed a protest before the UN (United Nations) IMO and other international forum," Villanueva said in a statement Monday. "The international bodies should probe the facts and make a decision on the extent of violation of international conventions with respect to good seamanship," he added. Villanueva reiterated that there was a "clear violation" of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) because the Chinese vessel was fishing within the Philippine's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Being a part of its EEZ, the Philippines has sovereign or exclusive rights over the resources in Recto (Reed) Bank. The senator also noted that another issue was whether or not the Chinese vessel intentionally rammed and abandoned the 22 Filipino fishermen at sea. Villanueva echoed calls for the government to protect the Filipino fishermen in the West Philippines Sea. He also agreed that Philippines should enforce the 2016 arbitral ruling dismissing China's "nine-dash line" claim over the South China Sea. These two, he said, "should have been an immediate priority of the National Security Council especially after the incident." President Duterte has already accepted China's proposal for a joint probe regarding the Recto Bank incident, where a Chinese ship rammed an anchored Filipino fishing boat and left its 22 crewmen at sea. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the joint probe will involve representatives from Philippines, China and a "neutral" third-party country. Opponents of the joint probe, however, argued that it would threaten the Philippines' sovereign rights over its EEZ.