FERATERO, KRISTOFF ALFONZO

BSED-FIL 1A

The Contemporary World

The Philippines continues to experience harassment from the superpower in its own West Philippine Sea
despite being favored by the landmark 2016 judgement of the International Permanent Court of
Arbitration that deemed China's sweeping maritime claims to be without legal foundation (WPS). But
why is the WPS so crucial that it has long been a source of conflict between the two nations? Why is it
crucial that Filipinos, not just activists, keep pleading with the government to safeguard the WPS?

The "maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago" were formally referred to as the
West Philippine Sea by Administrative Order No. 29, which was issued in 2012 under the administration
of then-President Benigno Aquino III. These also included the "waters covered by the maritime
entitlements (territorial sea and exclusive economic zones) of the Philippines in the South China Sea,"
according to retired senior associate justice of the Supreme Court Antonio Carpio, an authority on the
subject. It also included the nation's extended continental shelf, or ECS.

Fish and other aquatic products are abundant in the West Philippine Sea's marine resources. According
to data from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), the West Philippine Sea supplied an
estimated 324,312 metric tons of aquatic products in 2020, accounting for 7% of all fisheries production
in that year. The West Philippine Sea benefits thousands of fishermen, particularly those from the Ilocos
Region, Central Luzon, Mimaropa, and parts of the National Capital Region, according to BFAR Director
Eduardo Gongona.

Said by the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,
the coral reefs in the West Philippine Sea account for a sizable amount of the nation's total reef area
(DENR-BMB). Why is this crucial? The preservation of marine life is greatly aided by coral reefs.
According to the National Ocean Service of the United States, it offers the habitat in which hundreds of
species flourish as well as shields the land from the effects of waves, storms, and floods.

Filipino fishermen ultimately benefit from the huge resources that may be found in the West Philippine
Sea. The ongoing presence of Chinese vessels in the area, however, presents a greater obstacle for
them. Many fishermen, who are among the poorest people in the nation, already live in this reality.