Philippine banana export to China blocked - Scarborough Standoff? –QQ??

The governments of China and the Philippines are meeting soon but not about the Scarborough shoal. The two governments will talk bananas.

Trade regulators of the two countries are poised to meet to avert a possible trade rift over the rejection by China of a shipload of bananas from the Philippines recently claiming they failed to meet quarantine tests.

The Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA), however, view the imposition of new requirements by China as a form of retaliation in view of the ongoing dispute over the Scarborough shoal.

As if to minimize the impact of the impending talks, Trade Undersecretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. said the matter is purely a sanitary and pythosanitary (SPS) issue but that the Philippines is nevertheless preparing as the quarantine may cover other Philippine fruits such as pineapples.

"Based on the reports we are getting, this is purely an SPS issue. Let's avoid speculation at this stage," Cristobal said.

He said the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, the Bureau of Plant Industry, the Chinese embassy in Manila and the Philippine embassy in Beijing are working closely with the industry to address the issue.

"Concrete steps are in place, including negotiations across the table among regulators of the two countries," Cristobal said.

According to Cristobal, China's Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) has informed the Philippine embassy in Beijing that 43 batches of bananas shipped in April were found with pests.

He said the DA is verifying such claim.

Although China has not suspended importation of bananas from the Philippines, it could do so in the future if it finds the prevalence of pests, Cristobal said.

The 43 batches at issue were shipped by a number of growers, leading to speculation that China is retaliating for the tension with the Philippines over the Scarborough shoal dispute.

Cristobal said both governments are now exchanging test results and, hopefully, they will arrive at some concrete findings this week.

He said the Philippines is preparing as the quarantine may cover other fruits like pineapples and papayas. The Philippines imports a good volume of vegetables from China.

The Philippines is the largest exporter of pineapples to China, shipping over $23 million worth of the fruit last year.

According to Cristobal, even prior to this issue, he has been closely working with the banana industry to come up with an action plan and strategy for market diversification.

At present, China is the second biggest market after Japan. Canada is a potential market which the Philippines is beginning to penetrate. Other markets being looked at are Russia, New Zealand and the Middle East.

Last year, the Philippines exported $366.68 million worth of bananas or 91 percent of its total production.

PBGEA said China recently imposed a tighter rule on incoming banana shipments from the Philippines for the first time in over decade since the growers have been exporting Cavendish bananas to China.

PBGEA said banana exporters from Mindanao have been using the most advance and high-end technology to process the fruits. There are 18 companies engaged in the exportation of bananas.

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AFP- Philippines 48 Fighter Jets, 6 Submarines, anti-ship cruise missile – Washington CNAS

WASHINGTON – The Philippines needs up to four squadrons (48) of upgraded Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets, more well-armed frigates and corvette-size, fast to surface combatant vessels and minesweepers and four to six mini submarines, possibly obtained from Russia, to build a credible defense force in the face of China's increasing belligerence in the South China Sea, the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) said.

This level of capability would far exceed current Philippine planning and finances and it would be in Washington's interest to make it easier for Manila to acquire excess US fighters, frigates and other weapons system and encourage other countries such as Japan and South Korea to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), it said in an article "Defending the Philippines: Military modernization and the challenges ahead."

The CNAS article on Thursday written by Richard Fisher said the AFP's modernization program was estimated to cost about $1 billion over the course of President Aquino's six-year term – an amount that pales in comparison to China's 2012 official military budget of more than $100 billion.

A high-level Philippine delegation led by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin was in Washington this week for discussions on each other's needs to ensure freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. 

A Hamilton-class frigate, now the flagship of the Philippine Navy, was turned over by the US last year and a second one is forthcoming. A third frigate is being sought.

The article lauded Aquino's determination to build up his country's military forces and said he has spent more than $395 million on AFP modernization since coming into office, compared with $51 million annually in the previous 15 years.

It said he is seeking to purchase a small number of F-16s supported by six to 12 Surface Attack Aircraft (SAA)/Lead-In Fighter Training (LIFT) aircraft such as the subsonic Italian Aermacchi T-346 or the supersonic Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) T/A-50, both of which could be modified to perform secondary combat missions.

A considerable investment in training, logistical support and basing will have to precede the aircrafts' service entry, estimated to be in 2016, the article said.

In 2011, the Philippine Navy (PN) restored a program to acquire two multi-role vessels in the form of 5,000-to-10,000-ton Landing Platform Deck (LPD) ships capable of supporting Marine amphibious operations supplying outposts in the Spratly Islands or conducting disaster relief operations.

The PN is also looking for a land-based anti-ship cruise missile like a version of the US Boeing AMG-84 Harpoon which has a range of 120 kms and could also be used by frigates and F-16s, said Fisher, a senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center, in his article.

"Finally, the PN would like to acquire a submarine by 2020, which would become its most ambitious and expensive program to date," the article said.

Given the economic and political stakes in ensuring that all East Asian countries maintain unimpeded access to the sea lanes near the Philippines, both those nations and the United States now share a real interest in the success of the AFP modernization.

The timing is also fortuitous, the article said, because "the United States now has a pragmatic partner in President Aquino who has proved his intention to invest in national defense and is willing to rise above nationalist resentments from the bases era."

The left wing Communist party dominant in the Philippines booted the biggest Americans Airbase in the Pacific in 1992.

USA real-time satellite surveillance assistance over maritime territory to the Philippines

The three-week standoff between the Philippines and China at Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) has led the US to agree to provide the Philippines, its old ally, with satellite surveillance assistance, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in Washington announced the American assistance after a Philippine delegation conferred with him.

"In a meeting with the Philippine delegation at the Pentagon, Secretary Panetta agreed to intensify Philippine-US cooperation on real-time information-sharing to enable the Philippines to know what is happening in its maritime territory on a 24/7 basis and enforce its laws within its territory," a DFA statement said.

Panetta also gave assurance the US "will do everything possible to work with the Philippines."

The DFA also added that the US, one of the most advanced countries in intelligence gathering via surveillance satellites, will be sending PHL "real-time" information about territorial intrusions to assist the country in addressing and preventing similar incidents in the West Philippine Sea.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin had met this week with Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington.     

The US has declared that it will be aiding the Philippines once it is attacked to honor its 60-year-old defense treaty with Manila, but until then it shall not take sides.

It also pledged to increase its foreign military financing allocation for the Philippines to $30 million from just $15 million last year, said Assistant Secretary Andrew Shapiro, head of the State Department's Bureau for Political-Military Affairs.

"The State Department will explore additional creative funding streams for the Philippines," Shapiro added.

A second Hamilton-class cutter will also be transferred by the US to PHL for use in monitoring the West Philippine Sea and other maritime territories.

The standoff between the Philippines and China began on April 10 when Chinese fishermen were said to have intruded and poached at Panatag Shoal. The Philippine Navy tried to arrest them but two Chinese government ships intervened which started the standoff.

Both countries regard Panatag Shoal as their territory with the Philippines claiming it to be part of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which is within 200 nautical miles of the nearest Philippine land mass. China said the shoal, which it refers to as Huanyang Island, has been theirs since the Yuan dynasty in the 13th century.

However, the Philippines pronounces its claim based on the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) rule, which gives it the exclusive right to explore and develop Panatag Shoal, a part of its EEZ. UNCLOS was approved by both countries.

The shoal is a coral reef surrounding a lagoon located 124 nautical miles from the Philippines' Zambales province and 472 nautical miles from China's Hainan province.

Composed of more than 200 islands, rocks, reefs and coral outcrops, West Philippine Sea has always been a place of uneasy conflict where the Philippines, China, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam are all claiming part of it. The sea is home to immeasurable natural resources

Read more in Armed Forces of the Philippines - AFP Forum

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USA REJECTED Philippines SOS China’s invasion inspite of Mutual Defense Treaty

The US Government affirmed that it will support for word of mouth only and not in real action, a recent turnout of the high level ministerial talks between USA and the Philippines.

For the territorial clash between the Philippines and China in the Philippine territory's Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) USA rejected the vocal ask for support of the Philippines Government.

Even though in the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) mentioned that if there is an actual invasion in the Philippine territory; USA will come to protect the Philippines but the invasion of China in the Philippines territory is disregarded by the USA government because of political ties between US-China.

Though it said to support for diplomatic solution but still vague if in the actual event if USA would be there for the Philippines after their recent decision.

This is the second time that the US government rejected the Mutual Defense Treaty showing USA could not make its word into reality, a promise of never ending promise.

The refusal of the United States to take sides in the Scarborough Shoal tiff between the Philippines and China merely confirms that the long-standing mutual defense treaty (MDT) between Manila and Washington is unreliable, Sen. Joker Arroyo said yesterday.

Arroyo, an opposition senator, also cringed at the result of the highly publicized ministerial talks between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and top diplomats and officials of the country, saying it only made the top government officials look like "beggars" in the international community after the US official said America is not inclined to take the side of the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China but will only help build and strengthen the country's maritime capabilities.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Senate National Defense Committee, said the US cannot afford to take sides in the territorial dispute between the Philippines and over the Scarborough Shoal as its stand is anchored on the presence of American business interests in China, which "will always play a vital role in their foreign policy decisions."

According to Manila Bulletin research, China has been a major player in the global debt market since 2011, holding at least $1.6 trillion in US treasury bonds which helps maintain the US' low interest rates and management of its enormous debt.

The US also owes at least $1.13 trillion to China, equivalent to 25 percent of the total $4.6-trillion debt given by foreign countries.

Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angarasaid Washington's position to settle the territorial deadlock through peaceful settlement, and multilateral and rules-based approach is given following its crucial bilateral relations with China, now considered the economic giant in Asia.

"That is to be expected because this a sensitive time in US-China relations, what with the issue of the Chinese lawyer seeking asylum in the US embassy in Beijing as well as the need for the US to win over Beijing to its side regarding North Korea and Iran," the Harvard educated-lawmaker said.

AKO Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe agreed with Angara, saying that "Big Brother will never interfere unless its interests are affected."

But while the US said it won't take sides, Clinton reaffirmed America's commitment to its MDT with the Philippines and to freedom of navigation and regional security. She also reiterated that the US will support a diplomatic resolution to any territorial disputes.

"The results of the Del Rosario-Clinton-Gazmin-Panetta ministerial meeting is a lesson for us – a small power – and that is, we should not embark on a high-profile meeting unless we are sure about a modi¬cum of success in the negotiation," Arroyo said, referring to the high-level talks attended by Foreign Af¬fairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, and US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

"That underscores the importance of back channeling, the in¬formal diplomacy, the preliminary talks before the formal meeting. For why should we go through highly publicized talks, only to look beggared by puny cessations?" Ar¬royo said,

"Whereas before, there was at least some doubt where the US stands in the crisis, now it has been clarified. Nagkabistuhan na," he stressed.

Arroyo said the Aquino govern¬ment should look up to former President Corazon C. Aquino, the President's mother, who was "a master of that kind of diplomacy."

"Informal talks were first made and the points of agreement were more or less agreed upon before the formal talks take place," Ar¬royo said.

"If there was no agreement in the preparatory talks, it was useless to proceed with the formal meeting. Ask Teddy (Teodoro) "Boy" Locsin who was 25 years younger then. He was Cory's effective diplomatic intercessor, among others," he said of Mrs. Aquino's former press sec¬retary.

Arroyo, who was Mrs. Aquino's executive secretary, said the latest development in Washington only confirms what China had thought all along, "that the 61-year Mutual Defense Treaty cannot be invoked in the Scarborough standoff."

In the joint statement, the US also affirmed it would cooperate on building the Philippines sea patrol capabilities and will transfer a second ship to the poorly equipped Philippine Navy some this year.

Both Del Rosario and Gazmin appealed also during the meeting for the US' help in building at least a "minimum credible defense" for the Philippine Armed Forces.

US Interest in the Spratlys and the Philippines

USA still having a hidden plan for the Spratlys which the Philippines must wake up that letting the US to land again in any part of the Philippine territory would put the country in danger for their hidden agenda for the resource rich spratlys.

China is  vocal in their invasion to the Philippines which the Philippines must prepare to counter china but USA also has a hidden plan to the Spratlys which the Philippines must be very careful in making its decision if allowing the US to use the Philippines for its power ambition in the pacific or not.

The USA refused to sign the UNCLOS as a proof that they are also against the United Nations Convention in Laws of Sea for some reasons such as the same intention with china to invade or control the Areas which are affected by the UNCLOS or any other hidden reasons.

Without the United State's support, The Philippines and four other states (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Bahamas) got the approval in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) held in Jamaica last December 10, 1982. They were qualified as archipelagic States and international Laws protect them to exercise the 200 Nautical Miles Exclusive Economic Zone. 

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916,315 Jobs for Palm Oil Projects, PEZA Investment Growth 2012

The Bureau of Investments (BOI) on Monday approved a ₱737 Million palm oil project of Philippine-registered Zanorte Palm Rubber Plantation.

"The Zanorte project will help expand the country's agro-industries and create much-needed employment opportunities in rural areas. It will also help boost the palm oil industry which is among the sectors we have identified for industry development," BOI Managing Head Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. said in a statement.

Sirawai and Sibuco in Zamboanga del Norte–one of the 30 poorest provinces in the country–will host the project.

It will provide about 1,055 jobs, and is expected to create 54-58 percent  net value added to Zamboanga del Norte's economy.

The palm oil facility has a rated output of 9,900 metric tons (MT) of palm oil, and 2,338 MT of dried palm kernel.

The by-products of Zanorte Plantation will be sold to food giants like Universal Robina Corp., RFM Corp., Nestle Philippines, and Mina Oil Mill Corp., as well as exporters and manufacturers of soap and other industrial products.

Government data show the Philippine yearly production of palm oil is 54,333 MT and 6.54 MT of palm kernel.

Each palm fruit is capable of producing 90 percent palm oil and 10 percent  palm kernel oil. Industry data show that palm oil currently accounts for a 21-percent share of the world edible oil market.

Earlier this year, Zanorte registered a rubber plantation project with the BOI.

The project aims to integrating dried rubber production, which will be sold to tire makers Dunlop, Bridgestone, and Yokohama.

"While agriculture was hard hit by El Niño, La Niña, and other natural calamities, the sustained investor interest in agribusiness will re-energize and help us further grow this sector," Cristobal claimed.

BOI registered ₱479.682 million of agricultural investment in the first quarter of the year, up 52.77 percent from P₱313.988 million a year earlier.

PEZA sets 12% growth in ecozone investments, exports, jobs for 2012

Having generated ₱465 billion in registered investments in the country's 258 economic zones since President Benigno Aquino III took office, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) aims to post 12 percent increases in investments, exports and employment this year.

Last year, PEZA investments totaled ₱288 billion—a 41 percent increase from ₱204 billion in 2010.

"These [figures] show the continued enthusiasm of investors who are looking at the Philippines," PEZA director general Lilia de Lima said during the annual Investors' Night Thursday evening in Pasay City, where President Aquino was guest of honor.

The President highlighted the significance of the investment figures.

 "I am told that since we assumed office, PEZA has generated a total of—and this is part of the statistics I want to repeat ₱ 465 billion pesos in investments. Allow me to emphasize the magnitude of this figure. I'll have to repeat it a third time: ₱ 465 billion pesos. In 17 years of PEZA, this represents 23 percent of all investments generated by the authority. And, may I say again, this has happened in a span of less than two years," the President said.

 Among the locator firms feted during Investors' Night were Texas Instruments Philippines and Amkor Technology Philippines. These firms were given the Billionaires Award for pouring at least P3 billion worth of investments in the past three straight years.

 Europe, a new market

 In January and February, PEZA has brought investors that committed to 90 projects costing P16.22 billion.

 "Even companies in the European countries that did not show previous interest in the Philippines are now considering investing in the country," de Lima added.

 There are 2,709 firms in the ecozones—19 percent of which, or 514 firms, came during the Aquino administration.

 These firms directly employ 915,260 employees, according to de Lima.

President Aquino said the growing PEZA investments "is an indication of the investors' newfound confidence in the Philippines. We have garnered distinction after distinction from various renowned institutions."

 "The World Economic Forum, for example, bumped us ten places higher in their latest competitiveness ranking. The Japan External Trade Organization, in their survey of companies in Asia and Oceania, also named us as one of the best place to do business in Asia, whether in manufacturing or in service," Aquino noted.

The President also shared with PEZA investors a bit of realization he got from attending the World Electronics Forum in Cebu City last week.

"Businesses have realized the creativity and skill of the workforce and are moving them up the value chain; from production-line assemblies, they are tapping Filipinos for chip design and engineering. This is the result of companies nurturing their work force, and in turn, that work force is eager to learn and to propel its company towards even greater heights," Aquino shared.

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13 Million Hectares Benham Rise belongs to the Philippines, UN Approved!

Effective year 2012, the Philippines have augmented its area into 43 Million hectares from 30 Million hectares.

The United Nations has approved the Philippines' territorial claim to Benham Rise, an undersea landmass in the Pacific Ocean potentially rich in mineral and natural gas deposits, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said.

"We own Benham Rise now," Paje said in a media interview. "This is for future Filipinos," he added, noting that the 13-million-hectare area off the coast of Aurora province has been shown to have rich mineral deposits.

Paje said the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) sent the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) a letter last week informing the agency that the landmass is part of the country's continental shelf and territory.

Benham Rise, a seismically active region facing Luzon's eastern seaboard, is rising slowly to the surface of the Pacific Ocean, Paje said. Perhaps, in a million years—a blink in the planet's geological time—it will be habitable, he said.

Larger than Luzon

The plateau is a massive formation of basalt, a common volcanic rock, and is within coordinates 119°30'E to 132°00'E and 12°10'N to 20°30'N latitude.

Paje said Benham Rise, named after an American surveyor, is larger in area than Luzon. It has been shown to have natural gas deposits and manganese nodules, vital in the production of steel, he added.

Despite Benham's proximity to the Philippines and its location within the country's exclusive economic zone, the government did not claim it until 2008. Then, the next year, the government submitted a formal claim to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The Philippine submission noted that the country reserves the right to submit further claims in the area.

The Philippines is the sole claimant of Benham Rise. The country is currently embroiled in territorial disputes over several islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

China and the Philippines are feuding over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, 220 kilometers (124 nautical miles) west of Zambales province.

The Philippines and some of its Southeast Asian neighbors are also disputing with China and Taiwan ownership of parts of Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea.

The Spratlys are believed to be sitting on vast deposits of minerals and natural gas, in an area spanned by sea lanes vital to global trade.

IN THE KNOW

BENHAM RISE is a 13-million-hectare undersea region that lies east of Luzon and off the provinces of Isabela and Aurora.

Also known as Benham Plateau, it is a massive formation of basalt, a common volcanic rock, and is described in a study as a thickened portion of the Philippine sea plate's oceanic crust.

The formation lies within the continental shelf of the Philippines as defined by the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), under which a coastal state's exclusive economic zone extends 370 kilometers (200 nautical miles) from its continental shelf, while its extended continental shelf extends for another 278 km (150 nautical miles).

Benham Rise is not subject to any maritime boundary disputes and claims.

Studies conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have indicated large deposits of methane in solid form in the area.

In August last year, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje announced that the Philippines will gain additional territory should the United Nations approve the country's claim to Benham, which the country submitted to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in New York on April 8, 2009.

According to Paje, an American geologist, Andrew Benham, discovered the area, which was between 40 meters and 2,000 meters below the waterline, in 1933. Paje said gas deposits in the area would enable the country to achieve energy sufficiency

Benham Rise was found off the coast of Aurora province, Northeastern part of Luzon Island  and is part of the Philippine continental shelf and its 200 Nautical Mile Exclusive Economic Zone. With just the Pacific Ocean to the east, Hawaii is probably the next closest island.

Benham Rise, also known as Benham Plateau, is a 13-million hectare undersea region east of Luzon. It is enclosed by the coordinates 119°30'E to 132°00'E and 12°10'N to 20°30'N latitude.

The plateau is a massive formation of basalt, a common volcanic rock, and is described in a study as a thickened portion of the Philippine Sea plate's oceanic crust.

Another research notes the similarity of the shape of Benham Rise to the sharp bend of the Luzon coastline, which suggests the sea floor's resistance to subduction (the process by which one plate on the earth's crust is pushed downward beneath another plate because of collision) that may have affected the Philippine fault.

Paje said the undersea region, called Benham Rise, could turn the Philippines into a natural gas exporter because of the area's huge methane deposits.

Studies conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the past five years indicate large deposits of methane in solid form, Paje said after a Senate budget hearing.

The government is only awaiting a formal declaration from the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that Benham Rise is on the country's continental shelf and therefore part of its territory, Paje said.

Philippines Legal basis of Expansion

Since the UN approved that Benham Rise is part of the Philippines, "we would have legal basis to enter into exploration agreements with private companies to explore… (the area's) resources," said Sen. Franklin Drilon, chair of the chamber's finance committee.

After this favorable UNCLOSs declaration, the Philippines territory area augmented from 30 million hectares in 2011 into 43 million hectares effective year 2012 with the inclusion of Benham Rise.

Davide submission 2009

Hilario Davide, then Philippine ambassador to the United Nations, filed the country's partial submission with the commission.

The United Nations says the continental shelf is "the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea" up to 370 km (200 nautical miles) from the archipelagic baseline. An extended continental shelf goes farther than 370 km.

The Philippines claims that Benham Rise is an extension of its continental shelf.

Paje said Benham Rise was within the country's 370-km exclusive economic zone.

American geologist

The environment secretary said an American geologist surnamed Benham discovered the area that was between 40 and 2,000 meters below the waterline in 1933.

"But we are able to define categorically that it is attached to our continental shelf only recently. We have proven (to) UNCLOS that it is attached. So now the UN is considering it for decision sometime in 2012," Paje said.

He said gas deposits in the area would enable the country to achieve energy sufficiency.

"Benham Rise is very relevant because of its gas deposits (which has been) confirmed particularly by (the) National Mapping Resource Information Agency. It has given us the data that (the area) contains solid methane. We have not explored it but we have found nodules of methane in the surface and this is very important to us," he said.

Kalayaan, Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal)

The Kalayaan Island Group, which is part of the disputed Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, both located in the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea) and claimed by the Philippines, are also believed to contain oil and natural gas.

Paje said there was the possibility that the country could export gas in the future.

The secretary added that there would be a demand for gas deposits in Benham Rise "because it's much cleaner than (other) fossil fuels."

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10 Million Overseas Filipinos call to Stage Protest against China

Filipino organizations in the United States will stage demonstrations in front of China embassies and consulates on May 11 to protest Beijing's recent aggressive encroachment on the Philippines' Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.

Loida Nicolas-Lewis, national chair of a Filipino-American good governance organization based in New York, yesterday called on Filipinos throughout the world to mount demonstrations.

Among those quick to respond were Filipino organizations in Hong Kong, Canada and Australia.

China considers Panatag Shoal, located 124 nautical miles from the Philippines' Zambales province, to be its "inherent territory" even though it lies more than 500 nautical miles from the nearest China port of Hainan.

The territorial dispute over Panatag Shoal, which China calls Huangyan Island, has escalated in recent months following these developments:

– Chinese navy ships recently confronted the Philippine navy vessel BRP Gregorio del Pilar, which sought to apprehend Chinese boats illegally fishing in the area. The Chinese fishing boats were found to contain endangered corals, rare fish and live baby sharks, which are considered illegal cargo under Philippine law.

– Chinese navy ships have fired on and harassed unarmed Philippine fishing boats and exploration vessels, forcing them to withdraw.

– Chinese navy ships have dropped steel posts and navigation buoys with Chinese markings in the waters around Panatag Shoal.

China's Global Times, published by the government's People's Daily, reported in its April 25 editorial that China is prepared to engage in a small-scale war at sea with the Philippines: "China should select the most arrogant provocateur, conduct comprehensive strikes, and exert pressure economically, politically and militarily. If the water overwhelms China's knees, other countries will find their necks in the water."

To defuse the situation, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario proposed that the two countries bring their territorial dispute to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) but this proposal was immediately rejected by China.

Rodel Rodis, national president of the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), called on the Global Filipino Diaspora Council (GFDC) representing 12 million Filipinos in 220 countries throughout the world to support the Philippines' sovereign claim to Panatag Shoal which has been in Philippine maps since 1743.

"A strong showing of support and solidarity by Filipinos in the Diaspora will impress on China that it is not just confronting a small country that it can easily bully, but one that has citizens scattered throughout the world who can mobilize and galvanize public opinion against China," Rodis said.

Ted Laguatan, USP4GG national spokesman, also "called on all Filipinos and all those others who believe in freedom and the right of every country to control its own destiny to join us in a global demonstration at Chinese embassies and consulates in the United States and around the world at noon on Friday, May 11."

China: Phl and USA will never succeed

As this developed, a commentary in the English newspaper People's Daily, the mouthpiece of China's Communist Party, yesterday said that the Philippines will not succeed in getting support from the United States over the recent territorial dispute over Panatag Shoal.

"The Philippines and China have been stuck in a stalemate for many days. The Philippines recently conducted military exercises with the United States and the South China Sea issue has again become the focus of world opinion. The Philippines pretended to be bullied by a big country and hoped to get support from the United States. They will never succeed because it not only violates the principles of International Law but also ignores the historical facts," the commentary written by Li Xuejiang said.

It said both the Nansha Islands and Xisha Islands originally belong to China and the Philippines' and Vietnam's territorial claims of South China Sea Islands is mainly on the basis of the system of exclusive economic zone and continental shelf regulated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The commentary said that the UNCLOS cannot replace other norms of international law.

"The principles of historical rights and international law are the most effective principles to determine the ownership of the territories, namely, the principles of first discovery, first occupation and first exercise of jurisdiction," it said.

The commentary said that China has had jurisdiction over the South China Sea since the Song and Yuan dynasties.

"Even in modern times, the Republic of China was internationally recognized to take over the South China Sea Islands based on the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation after the defeat of Japan," it said.

The commentary explained that the administrative regions map of the Republic of China had marked the boundary line in the South China Sea in 1947 and the People's Republic of China also re-declared its territorial sovereignty of the South China Sea Islands in the Declaration of the government of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea in 1958.

It said that the Philippines and the other claimant countries did not express any opposition to China's claim over the disputed islands until the 1970s and after the UNCLOS took effect in 1994.

Li said the Philippines and Vietnam's sovereign claim to the South China Sea Islands is based on the "adjacent geographic location."

"It is untenable whether it is based on the international law or the reality," the commentary said.

To support its argument, the commentary cited France's St. Pierre Island and Miquelon, which are only 20 kilometers away from the coast of Newfoundland of Canada but are thousands of kilometers away from France.

"Denmark's Greenland is far away from the continent of Europe but is separated with a narrow strip of water from Nunavut in northern Canada. If using geographic proximity as the only criteria to determine the ownership of territories, most coastal and land border lines in the world would have been redrawn," it added.

The commentary likewise argued that China has the responsibility to defend its territory regardless of size.

"Defending the territorial sovereignty has nothing to do with the size of the country. Every country has responsibility to protect its territory whether it is small or big. China is a big country but it was invaded in the late Qing dynasty," it said.

The commentary added that the conflict in the South China Sea – which the Philippines calls the West Philippine Sea – is associated with China's rise.

"(It) is just an excuse for Western countries to curb the rise of China. Anyone with discerning eyes can see that the Southeast Asian countries are used by the United States to contain China and service for its strategy of 'returning to Asia to contain China.'

"Hypocritically, the United States who had refused to sign the UNCLOS now uses the UNCLOS to contain China. Who can believe the so-called fairness and neutrality the United States boasts?" it said.

A time to unite

Meanwhile, a foreign relations expert at the Senate called on everyone to help settle the Phl-China dispute peacefully rather than resort to muscle-flexing in the West Philippine Sea area.

"Can you imagine, there will be a high profile meeting with Foreign Affairs Secretary Del Rosario and Defense Secretary (Voltaire) Gazmin, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, what will China say now? China will say that we are siding with the United States," the source told The STAR.

The source reiterated that the best way to solve the crisis in the West Philippine Sea should be through diplomacy.

"Outwardly, they fight each other. But behind their official function, there should be back- channeling. Let's not go over the brink here. This Scarborough conflict does not even rate worldwide. We are so small here," the source added.

President Aquino is sending Del Rosario and Gazmin to meet with Clinton and US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to discuss the issue.

He said there should be no cause for alarm amid reports of the conduct of war games between Russia and China, adding that superpowers like the United States and China know very well the capabilities of each other, and that they would think twice before going to war.

He said Aquino should tap business tycoons George Ty, Lucio Tan and even former House speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. in the back-channeling efforts because he still has vast contacts in China.

The source made the recommendation even as President Aquino has yet to appoint an ambassador to China after he did not reappoint businessman Domingo Lee who failed to secure the nod of the Commission on Appointments.

Tan is close to top Chinese officials, which were his contacts in setting up his businesses in Fukien and Xiamen, the source noted.

Ty, who owns the Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., has also established vast businesses in China.

The source added Aquino can also tap as consultants Eric Macalinao and award-winning journalist Chito Sta. Romana, former Beijing bureau chief for ABC News who stayed in China for 39 years and witnessed the development of China from Mao to the present time. – Mike Frialde, Christina Mendez

Source: http://ofw.phrepublic.com/?q=node/30

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