Manalo: Removal of floating barrier installed by China ‘consistent’ with Phl position

The Philippine government's move to remove the floating barrier installed by the China Coast Guard around the southeastern portion of Scarborough Shoal is "consistent" with the country's position, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said Tuesday.

"Technically, we have a right to practice our sovereignty and our sovereign rights. So, it would have been consistent with our position but we're still waiting for the full report," Manalo said in a chance interview at the Senate.

He issued the remarks after the Philippine Coast Guard confirmed that the floating barrier that prevented Filipino fishermen from accessing the shore had been removed in accordance with a presidential order.

Over the weekend, the PCG reported the presence of the floating barrier around Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc.

On Monday night (Manila time), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin defended China's move to install the floating barrier in the southeastern portion of Scarborough Shoal, which they referred to as Huangyan Dao.

"Huangyan Dao has always been China's territory. China has indisputable sovereignty over the island and its adjacent waters and sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant waters," Wang said.

"On September 22, a vessel of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Philippines, without China's permission, intruded into the adjacent waters of Huangyan Dao and attempted to enter its lagoon," he added.

Wang noted that the CCG's actions were "necessary."

"China Coast Guard did what was necessary to block and drive away the Philippine vessel. The steps it took were professional and restrained," he said.

Located 120 nautical miles from Zambales, Bajo de Masinloc is considered a traditional fishing ground for Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea.

China claims the vast South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.

The 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea invalidated Beijing's historic nine-dash line claim in the entire South China Sea.