PINALAGAN ng dalawang House leaders ang anunsiyo ng pamahalaan ng China sa bago nitong regulasyon na aarestuhin na ng Chinese Coast Guard ang mga trespassers sa South China Sea.
“The House of the Filipino People will not tolerate any arrests of our citizens or fishermen within our own Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). We will fiercely defend our sovereignty and ensure the safety and rights of our people,”ang pahayag ni House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez sa isang official statement.
Ayon kay Romualdez, dapat respetuhin ng China ang international ruling at matutong kumilos bilang isang responsableng kasapi ng global community. Ang patakaran aniyang ito ay isang paglabag sa international law.
“China must respect international rulings and act as a responsible member of the global community, rather than imposing its own laws unilaterally and bullying other nations. …..China’s aggressive pronouncements are a blatant escalation of tensions in the West Philippine Sea. These unilateral actions flagrantly violate international law and the established norms that guide the Philippines and other law-abiding nations with claims in the South China Sea,” sabi ni Romualdez.
Samantala, kinondena ni House Deputy Minority Leader at ACT Teachers party-list Representative France Castro ang bagong regulasyon na ito ng China lalo na ang banta nito na ididitine nang walang paglilitis ang mga dayuhan na magagawi sa pinag-aagawang teritoryo ng China at Pilipinas sa South China Sea o ang tinaguriang West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“This is highly condemnable and is not even legal. China has no right to impose such a regulation. If any country has a right to arrest foreigners, it is the Philippines. China is the one trespassing in our territorial waters and our exclusive economic zone, and now it has the gall to say that they would arrest non-Chinese in our waters,” ang sabi ni Castro.
MA LUISA GARCIA
