Antonio Villegas St.

, Mehan Gardens, Manila 1

Issues and Concern on the West

Philippines Sea

A Term paper

Submitted to: Col Ramon De Jesus (Ret.)

Faculty of the Graduate School

Universidad De Manila

In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the course of

Development Modelling in Criminology

Jessie Q. Jurial Jr.

 Antonio Villegas St., Mehan Gardens, Manila 2

What is the dispute in the West Philippine Sea?

The dispute in the West Philippine Sea is rooted in conflicting territorial

claims over islands, rocks, and reefs above water at high tide, as well as

conflicting maritime claims over maritime zones.

The dispute involves six countries bordering the South China Sea.

What is at stake for the Philippines?

80% of the Philippines’ Exclusive economic zone (EEZ), comprising

381,000 square kilometer of maritime space.

100% of the Philippines’ extended continental shelf (ECS), estimated at

over 150,000 square kilometers of maritime space.

Aggregating a huge maritime area of over 531,000 square kilometers

larger than total land area of the Philippines of 300,000 square kilometers.

Root cause of West Philippine Sea dispute

The root cause of the West Philippine Sea dispute is China’s 9-dashed

lines claim, which gobbles up large areas of the EEZs and ECS of the

Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

 Antonio Villegas St., Mehan Gardens, Manila 3

Nine-dashed lines Map submitted by China to United Nations on

7 May 2009

China did not explain the legal basis for the dashes. The dashes had

no fixed coordinates.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia protested China’s

claim under this 9-dashed lines map.

China seized Subi Reef in 1988

In 1988, China seized Subi Reef from the Philippines by erecting a

radar structure and military facilities on the reef. Subi Reef is a Low-Tide

Elevation (LTE) outside of the Philippines’ EEZ but within its extended

continental shelf (ECS).

Subi Reef is just outside the 12NM territorial sea of the Philippine-

occupied Pagasa Island.

Under UNCLOS, only the Philippines can erect structures or create an

artificial island on Subi Reef.

 Antonio Villegas St., Mehan Gardens, Manila 4

China seized Mischief (Panganiban) Reef in 1995

In 1995, China seized Mischief Reef from the Philippines. Mischief

Reef, located 125 NM from Palawan, is a Low-Tide (LTE) within the

Philippines’ EEZ. As an LTE beyond the territorial sea of any state, it is part of

the submerged continental shelf of the adjacent coastal state, which is the

Philippines.

Under UNCLOS, only the Philippines can exploits its natural resources

or erect structures on it.

 Antonio Villegas St., Mehan Gardens, Manila 5

China claimed Reed Bank in 2010

In February 2010, the Philippines awarded a Service Contact to

Sterling Energy (predecessor of Forum Energy) for Block SC 72 in the Reed
Bank.

China protested, sending a Note Verbale to the Philippines on

February 22, 2010 expressing its strong objection.

China demanded Philippines to withdraw the Service Contract immediately.

Chinese Coast Guard vessels harassed a Philippine Survey Ship in Reed

Bank in 2011

In March 2011, two Chinese coast guard vessel, the CMS-71 and
CMS-75, prevented a Philippine-commissioned ship, the MV Veritas Voyager,
from undertaking oil and gas survey in the Reed Bank, which is entirely within
the Philippines EEZ.

The 9-dashed lines cut through Malampaya, the Philippines’ largest

operating gas field which suppplies 40% of the energy requirement of Luzon.
 Antonio Villegas St., Mehan Gardens, Manila 6

China seized Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal in 2012

In 2012, China seized Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines. In

November 2012, following a three-month standoff between Philippines and
Chinese vessels around the shoal, China informed the Philippines that
Chinese coast guard vessels would remain permanently on the shoal.

Scarborough Shoal is rich in fisheries and is one of the traditional

fishing grounds of Filipino in Zambales.

Philippines win arbitration case vs. China over South China Sea

July 2016, It has finally been decided that the Philippines has
exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea (in the South China
Sea) and that China’s “nine-dash line” is invalid, according to the United
Nations (UN) Arbitral Tribunal.

The Tribunal also said that China has violated Philippine sovereign rights.
 Antonio Villegas St., Mehan Gardens, Manila 7

“Having found that certain areas are within the exclusive economic
zone of the Philippines, the Tribunal found that China had violated the
Philippines’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone by (a) interfering
with Philippine fishing and petroleum exploration, (b) constructing artificial
islands and (c) failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone,”
the tribunal statement said.

China said that it was the victim in the maritime dispute over the
West Philippine Sea and that it would never accept any decision by the United
Nations (UN) arbitral tribunal.

“The origin and crux of the disputes between China and the
Philippines in the South China Sea lie in the territorial sovereignty disputes
caused by the Philippines’ illegal occupation of some islands and reefs of
China’s Nansha Islands since the 1970s,” Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokeperson Hua Chunying said in an official statement.

Through the arbitration case filed by at the International Tribunal on

the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the Philippines hopes to clarify whether China’s
claim is valid or not.

Since the Philippines backed down from the Scarborough shoal

standoff back in 2012, China has been effectively exercising control over
waters around the Spratly Islands off the coast of Palawan and Scarborough
off the coast of Subic.
 Antonio Villegas St., Mehan Gardens, Manila 8

JESSIE QUINTO JURIAL Jr.

Registered Criminologist
201 A. Villa St., Batis, San Juan City
1500
Telephone: 0919-3428868/ e-mail: mikajessie01@gmail.com

PERSONAL DATA
AGE
 27

DATE OF BIRTH:
 January 16, 1988

PLACE OF BIRTH
 Kauswagan, Lanao Del Norte

LANGUAGES
 Bisaya, Tagalog and English

MARITAL STATUS
 Single

EDUCATION

Elementary Jose Balazo Memorial Elementary School

Kauswagan, Lanao Del Norte
1995-2001

Secondary Saint Vincent Academy

Kauswagan, Lanao Del Norte
2001-2005

Tertiary Emilio Aguinaldo College

Ermita, Manila
2006-2011
 Antonio Villegas St., Mehan Gardens, Manila 9

Post Graduate Universidad De Manila

Ermita, Manila
2015- Present

LICENSE:
Professional Regulatory Commission
Registered Criminologist
October 2011
Active

TRAININGS:

January 2012 Public Safety Field Training Program

National Capital Region Training School

April 2013 Special Counter-Insurgency Operation Training

Regional Public Safety Batallion

March 2015 Close Protection Course

Police Security and Protection Group

SPECIAL SKILLS

 Computer Literate

 Driving

 Mixed Martial Arts – Former URCC Fighter

 Sports: Basketball, Track and Field and Volleyball