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NSC says coral dumping in Pag-asa an attempt to reverse 2016 arbitral ruling

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Pia Gutierrez

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — The National Security Council on Monday called the dumping of dead and crushed corals in Pag-asa Cays 1, 2, and 3, a deliberate move to reverse the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling by creating a new low-tide elevation in the West Philippine Sea.</p><p>NSC Spokesperson Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya made the statement following reports that heaps of crushed corals have been dumped onto the sandbar of Pag-asa Island, a municipality of Palawan province.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/5/4/pag-asa-cays-in-degraded-state-over-new-island-building-activities-study-1431">READ: Pag-asa cays in ‘degraded state’ over new island-building activities: study</a></div><p>&quot;And lagpas sa tao iyong crushed corals,&quot; Malaya said, adding that the motive behind the dumping of crushed corals is to not merely drive away Filipino fishermen in the area, but to change its geological feature and create a low-tide elevation that could generate maritime entitlements.</p><p>The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea defines a low-tide elevation as a &quot;naturally formed area of land which is surrounded by and above water at low tide but submerged at high tide.&quot;</p><p>In some cases, low-tide elevations can be used as a baseline for territorial seas, where coastal states have sovereignty.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tZ2Ylgu6WYI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>&quot;The objective of this kind operation, obviously, is to create a low-tide feature, a new low-tide feature in the West Philippine Sea. Kasi iba ang low-tide feature; it creates a certain kind of entitlement kung mayroon kang low-tide feature,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;So this, obviously, seeks to reverse the 2016 Arbitral ruling kasi magkakaroon ng some sort of maritime entitlement kapag nabago iyong physical attributes of Pag-asa Cays 1, 2 and 3. And this is very important to the Philippines kasi itong location nitong cays are within the 12 nautical miles territorial sea of Pag-asa Island.&quot;</p><p>According to UNCLOS, if a low-tide elevation &quot;is situated wholly or partly at a distance not exceeding the breadth of the territorial sea from the mainland or an island, the low-water line on that elevation may be used as the baseline for measuring the breadth of the territorial sea.&quot;</p><p>China did not participate and continues to reject the 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated its sweeping nine-dash line claim over a large part of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.</p><p>The Philippine government earlier said that it is mulling the filing of a separate arbitral case against China for the massive environmental damage that it has caused in the West Philippine Sea.</p>

<p>"The objective of this kind operation, obviously, is to create a low-tide feature, a new low-tide feature in the West Philippine Sea. Kasi iba ang low-tide feature; it creates a certain kind of entitlement kung mayroon kang low-tide feature," Malaya said.</p>

"The objective of this kind operation, obviously, is to create a low-tide feature, a new low-tide feature in the West Philippine Sea. Kasi iba ang low-tide feature; it creates a certain kind of entitlement kung mayroon kang low-tide feature," Malaya said.

NSC says coral dumping in Pag-asa an attempt to reverse the 2016 arbitral ruling

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NSC says coral dumping in Pag-asa an attempt to reverse the 2016 arbitral ruling

Pia Gutierrez,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 06, 2024 05:58 PM PHT

Read More:

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Pag-asa Island

Pag-asa Cay

West Philippine Sea

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