Rorie Fajardo-Jarilla
As the Philippines’ leaders weigh the next steps in response to increasing tension with China in the disputed South China Sea, Manila appears to be belatedly reflecting public sentiment and calling for its claims to the resource-rich territory to be protected – and gaining political support for it.
In July 2016, the Philippines won a landmark decision by an arbitration court at The Hague which ruled that China had no territorial claims to the country’s waters. The court also said the continued presence of China’s vessels, island-building, patrolling, and other actions violated the sovereign rights of the Philippines.
Nonetheless, China has not abandoned its historical claim to neither these waters, nor others claimed by Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
The latest confrontation erupted on June 17 during the Philippines’ resupply mission to the Second Thomas Shoal in the country’s waters in the South China Sea. This is where the Philippine Navy vessel BRP Sierra Madre is stationed, with marines manning the vessel symbolising the country’s last line of defence against increasing Chinese incursion. Since the grounded ship serves as a military station, the navy conducts routine resupply missions of food, fuel, and other necessities.
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