Bersamin: Phl may file new protest vs China

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Thursday said the Philippines is considering filing a new protest against China over its latest destructive activities in the West Philippine Sea.

In an interview with Anthony Taberna, Bersamin said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is serious about solving the West Philippine Sea dispute.

"That is always the position the government will most likely take. We have always conducted our foreign policy strictly through diplomacy. We don't have aggression or aggressiveness. But whether or not we will file another case against China is one of the options, and I think our lawyers are seriously considering it. But it's very probable, most likely, but we won't definitively say we will," Bersamin said.

"You know, filing a case has a point. We litigate even if China doesn't participate because it means you have resolve, you have a determination to hold China accountable. And I will be one of those on the side of going against China," he added.

Earlier this week, China told the Philippines not to "stir up trouble" after the Philippine Coast Guard removed a floating obstruction that China had placed to deter Filipino fishermen from accessing Scarborough Shoal, called Bajo de Masinloc by the Philippines.

Manila had expressed strong disapproval against the 300-meter-long Chinese barrier at the entrance of Scarborough Shoal's lagoon, a highly productive fishing area. This shoal, characterized by its U-shaped rocky formation and abundant marine resources, was taken by China from the Philippines in 2012 following a two-month standoff. This event led to a legal complaint by Manila through arbitration proceedings a decade ago.

Philippine authorities had criticized China's placement of the barrier as a violation of both international law and the Philippines' sovereignty.

Bersamin also recalled that Marcos Jr. summoned the Chinese ambassador to the Philippines after the military-grade laser pointing incident in the West Philippine Sea in February 2023.

"He summoned the ambassador. You know, the President is not the type to say, 'Hey, Mr. Ambassador…' It's not like that. But the way he stated the position of our country regarding the military-grade laser pointing incident, I thought, 'My admiration was never higher,'" Bersamin said.

"We changed what we had agreed on in China with your President; it did not filter down to the lowest levels, something like that. But let's not talk about that. Let this be handled by more competent people, the DFA, or the military," he added.

The Philippines won a landmark arbitration case against China in 2016, but China has refused to recognize the ruling.