00:00 We will be joined again this Monday by National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya.
00:08 ADG John, good afternoon and welcome back.
00:11 Thank you.
00:13 We are with you every Monday.
00:15 He's a regular, ADG John.
00:19 But you know, whenever you're here, the issue is always hot.
00:22 Is that so?
00:24 Yes, because we have a question for you, our media colleagues.
00:29 Yes.
00:29 It's Tuesday News with DZ BB.
00:32 His question is, has the PBBM already placed a China floating barrier around the Bayou de Masinloc?
00:43 And what is the reaction or disposition of the government regarding this?
00:48 Yes, that's a good question, Tuesday.
00:50 First of all, the National Security Council has already prepared our report to our President
00:56 regarding what we discovered in the Bayou de Masinloc that has a barrier.
01:01 All of the events in the Bayou de Masinloc, in the Ione and Shoal, and in the entire Calayan Island group
01:08 are always brought to our President because he is, of course, the Chief Executive of the country.
01:15 And for now, we are waiting for what our President's response will be
01:19 regarding the report prepared by the National Security Council.
01:24 Okay, I'm sure that our President will not like that.
01:28 But of course, we need his official reaction about this.
01:32 But the question of some, can you answer this, ADG,
01:36 if the Philippine Coast Guard can remove these buoys or not?
01:43 Because the Chinese Coast Guard placed them.
01:45 Won't this cause more tension when they remove them?
01:50 Well, as an answer to that, I just want to emphasize that this Bayou de Masinloc is very close to Sambales.
01:58 This place is within the 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone of our country.
02:05 As part of our EEZ, we have the right to our maritime entitlements,
02:13 particularly for our fishermen.
02:16 And they need to be free to fish there.
02:20 The 2016 Arbitral Ruling is very clear
02:23 where this Bayou de Masinloc or what is called Panatag Shoal or Internationally Ascarboro Shoal
02:30 has the right of our fishermen to fish there ever since, from centuries ago.
02:38 So, it means that if the question is, do we have the right to remove the barrier placed?
02:43 Yes, we do. The international law and the UNCLOS are clear there.
02:48 And our country has the right to remove the barrier placed by the Chinese Coast Guard.
02:53 There is also a sandbar near Pag-asa Island that is covered with crushed corals.
03:00 What is the indication of this?
03:02 And what will the government do and what will be the government's response?
03:08 You know, the reaction of the Chinese government to the environmental degradation
03:15 in the Escoda Shoal and Sabina Shoal is a political drama, not a matter of our country.
03:20 So, here in San Dikey, we will know what really happened.
03:28 Because first of all, the crushed corals that were placed there, who really placed them there?
03:34 Second, what were the circumstances that happened?
03:38 So, in the meantime, because this news is just a rumor, let us first verify.
03:45 We must verify the circumstances and facts behind what happened here.
03:50 Because it might be said that we are doing a political drama out of fiction.
03:56 So, to make sure that we will be able to prove it, the first thing we must do is due diligence.
04:02 Let us investigate and find out what the circumstances really are.
04:07 Okay. How will the government help the fishermen in Zambales,
04:14 which is not near Bajo de Masinloc, where many fish are caught?
04:20 Yes. The priority of our government is to help our fishermen wherever they are,
04:26 whether they are in the West Philippine Sea or in other parts of the country.
04:30 So, what we do there is we show our countrymen through videos and narratives,
04:37 and also through the media, we are providing assistance.
04:41 Our ships from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources,
04:46 together with the Philippine Coast Guard, are bringing supplies of gasoline.
04:55 Yes, gasoline. And they are also bringing food, canned goods, for our fishermen,
05:01 so that they can help in their fishing.
05:04 And this is what we have been doing for a long time.
05:08 And we will continue to do so because this is the West Philippine Sea.
05:12 This is the wealth of our country, and our countrymen must benefit from it.
05:17 Thank you very much, ADG John.
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