Mga sumira sa corals ng Sabina Shoal, Iroquis Reef nais panagutin

CNN Philippines

Ikinagalit at ikinalungkot ng ilang mambabatas ang anila'y pananabotahe sa mga yamang-dagat sa West Philippine Sea. Ayon sa isang senador, puwedeng kasuhan sa international tribunal ang nasa likod nito.  Ang detalye hatid ni Eimor Santos.  Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 Senator Francis Tolentino showed the before and after photos of Escoda or Sabina Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.

00:08 Because the coral reefs below are already broken, its shape is now different.

00:13 It's like this. Now, Escoda, because its bottom is already broken, it's like this. It's different, right?

00:21 See? The discoloration is also affecting the bottom, not because of the waves.

00:27 The coral reefs in Ruzul and Iroquois Reefs are also wide.

00:31 Armed Forces of the Philippines suspects that it's because of the harvests of China in the coral reefs.

00:37 According to Senator Tolentino, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,

00:42 the presence of Chinese militia vessels in Ruzul and Escoda,

00:48 which is included in the 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines, is not a mystery.

00:53 It's clear that they are not just standing by, but they are also preparing China for reclamation.

01:00 This is not just an ordinary swarming. They are doing something.

01:05 They are doing something. There is a direction.

01:10 Senate President Mig Zubiri's reaction is very angry with China's neglect of the natural resources of the Philippines.

01:18 The loss of coral reefs is affecting the last fish.

01:22 If they will destroy the coral reefs and want to harvest our marine resources, I think that's foul.

01:30 That is foul. I hope they will respect it.

01:33 If they don't respect our arbitral ruling, at least they should respect the marine resources.

01:42 Zubiri also appealed to the Chinese Embassy to order the militia vessels to stop destroying it.

01:49 The Senate Committee on National Defense Chairman Jingui Estrada ordered the next step to be executed.

01:56 It is one of the possible actions of confronting China, which President Marcos or the DFA can do.

02:03 But according to Senator Bato de la Rosa, even if China is relieved by the explanation, it is hard to believe.

02:10 It is sad. It is not sad. It is sad because it was not acted on.

02:14 It is just like when we file a diplomatic protest almost every month, every three months, every two months,

02:22 it becomes a piece of paper. We are just like that. You said we cannot fight China. How can we?

02:29 That could be an option. That's a good option. But we believe that if we are not there, let's go ahead and fight.

02:36 We have already fought.

02:39 But it is clear that China should be blamed for its destruction of the environment.

02:44 Tolentino said that the case can be brought to the Arbitral Tribunal, International Court of Justice, or International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

02:54 According to Zubiri, the Senate will also issue P600 million for the construction of marine ranger stations

03:02 that will guard our territory in the West Philippine Sea.

03:05 Amor Santos, CNN Philippines.

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