No fireworks at AsPac gab

Will Filipino lawmakers hold their horses when discussing West Philippine Sea irritants with their Chinese counterparts during the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum?

At the start of the forum, which will run until 25 November, Zubiri said members of both houses of Congress had agreed to tackle WPS issues in a "non-combative and diplomatic way."

Zubiri revealed on the sidelines of the meeting on Thursday that the issues concerning China's aggressive actions in the WPS would be tackled at the APPF.

China claims nearly the entire South China Sea, which overlaps the WPS, as part of its territory, an assertion that the Permanent Court of Arbitration shot down as baseless in 2016.

The same arbitral ruling, on the other hand, affirmed the legality of the Philippines' 200-nautical claim in the WPS.

Aside from China and the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan and Malaysia have territorial claims in the waters off their shores.

China Coast Guard vessels have been harassing vessels provisioning Filipino troops stationed aboard the BRP Sierra at Ayungin Shoal. CCG boats trained water cannons on the resupply boats in at least two instances.

CCG and Chinese militia vessels have also blocked Filipino fishermen from the rich fishing grounds in the WPS. They have also conducted "dangerous maneuvers" against Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy ships.

'Welcoming attitude'

Amid these incidents, Zubiri stressed the need for the Philippines to exert diplomacy when discussing WPS issues with China during the forum.

"We have to show them diplomacy. As the (forum) host, we have to always set a welcoming attitude for all of our guests," he said.

The Philippines, he said, will "tone down" its descriptions of the ongoing situation on the WPS during the three-day forum so that all country representatives in attendance could come up with a "generally accepted" resolution, particularly on the concerns in the entire SCS.

The forum is being attended by 275 parliamentarians from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mexico, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Russian Federation, Thailand and Vietnam.

Zubiri announced the Philippines has received "guaranteed support" from at least 15 APPF member-states for its bid to secure a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for the 2027-2028 term.

"Without naming countries, so far, the Department of Foreign Affairs has pointed out that out of 27 nations of the APPF, we already have the support of 15," Zubiri told reporters.

He added that the Philippines still has to get the support of 11 more member-states to ensure its election to the UN body.

UNSC support

House Speaker Martin Romualdez said another country has also signified support for the Philippines' UNSC endeavor.

"We got an additional commitment of support from one. That's just on the first lunch. We are still waiting for our other friends in the region. That's why, right away, this forum is paying off dividends," Romualdez said.

Earlier this month, the Department of Foreign Affairs said that Timor-Leste had reaffirmed its support for the Philippines' bid for a Security Council seat.

In September 2022, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. first announced the country's UNSC bid during the 77th session of the UN General Assembly. The Philippines was previously elected to the UNSC in 2004.

Marcos said the Philippines' peace-building efforts qualify it as part of the Security Council.

The UNSC consists of 15 member-states. China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States serve as its permanent members.