National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Año denounced China's recent declaration of a so-called “Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve” at Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, calling it illegal and a threat to Philippine sovereignty.

Año asserted that the People’s Republic of China’s move violates international law, specifically the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling, and the 2022 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

“This move by the PRC is less about protecting the environment and more about justifying its control over a maritime feature that is part of the territory of the Philippines,” Año said.

The National Security Council (NSC) dismissed China’s declaration as a “clear pretext toward eventual occupation,” and criticized it as a misleading attempt at environmental stewardship. 

Año cited long-standing evidence of environmental destruction in the area, such as the large-scale harvesting of endangered marine species and reef damage.

“It is a clear pretext towards eventual occupation. The irony is clear: since 2016, evidence has shown large-scale harvesting of endangered species and reef destruction by Chinese fishermen, activities even cited by the Arbitral Tribunal,” he lamented. 

“To now claim stewardship over an ecosystem that they themselves has damaged is both contradictory and misleading,” Año added. 

Bajo de Masinloc lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and has long been a flashpoint in Manila’s maritime dispute with Beijing. 

Filipino fisherfolk have routinely reported harassment and restricted access to the area, despite repeated calls from Manila for the enforcement of international rulings.

Año emphasized that “true protection” of the shoal demands “cooperation, transparency, and respect for international law, not unilateral declarations that restrict access to Filipino fisherfolk under the guise or cover of conservation.”

The NSC also expressed full support for the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) filing of a formal diplomatic protest against what it described as an “illegal and illegitimate act” by the PRC.

This latest development is expected to further strain diplomatic relations between the two countries and heighten tensions in the disputed South China Sea, where China continues to assert sweeping claims despite multiple international rulings against its position.

Bajo de Masinloc, or Scarborough Shoal, is a traditional fishing ground located about 124 nautical miles off the coast of Zambales, Philippines. 

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China’s expansive “nine-dash line” claim. 

Despite the ruling, China has continued its presence in the area through coast guard patrols and other maritime assets.