00:00Members of the DFA Press Corps, a pleasant day to all of you.
00:04Let me begin by making a rejoinder to recent statements that question the Philippines' incontrovertible and indivisible sovereignty over Bajo
00:16de Masinloc.
00:17Bajo de Masinloc, then known as Panakot, was portrayed by the Murillo Velarde map published in 1734.
00:27Subsequent maps reflected the same information.
00:31The Philippines' then-colonial rulers exercised jurisdiction over the future,
00:37as evidenced by detailed surveys, official correspondences, and other acts of administration.
00:45In fact, the first official survey took place in 1800 and was carried out by the Santa Lucia,
00:54a Spanish frigate, in behalf of the Spanish colonial government.
00:59This was further emphasized following the seeding of the Philippines by Spain to the U.S.
01:06in the 1898 Treaty of Paris and the 1900 Treaty of Washington.
01:12While the Treaty of Paris described the Philippine Islands as comprising all the islands within the irregular polygon,
01:22Spain also had the sovereignty and jurisdiction over islands and places outside of the lines of that polygon.
01:31These islands and places were clarified to have also been transferred to the United States
01:38under the terms of the Treaty of Washington.
01:42Following the work of the Republic of the Philippines,
01:46Bajo de Masinloc continued to be subject of Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction.
01:52This included the 1963 discovery and disassembly of a smuggler's base by the Philippine Navy
02:00and the subsequent declaration of the Shoal as a target and bombing range of the armed forces of the Philippines.
02:09All these exercises of sovereignty were uninterrupted and conducted peacefully and openly without protest from any country
02:20until as late as 1997 when Namria conducted a GPS survey of the Shoal
02:28as part of its effort to identify points to be used to create the archipelagic baseline system under UNCLOS.
02:37The Philippines, through the DFA, has since continued to firmly protest and challenge the illegal assertion of sovereignty
02:47by other states over the future, especially following China's unlawful actions in 2012
02:55when they illegally took over and occupied Bajo de Masinloc as a response to the Philippines' lawful arrest of poachers
03:04in the area.
03:05Ladies and gentlemen, the Department also informs the public that it has held talks with Chinese foreign ministry counterparts in
03:16Beijing
03:16on 27 to 28 February 2026.
03:21Both sides had an open and candid exchange of views on prevailing bilateral concerns, including in the maritime domain,
03:32and explored possible areas of mutually beneficial cooperation.
03:37These recent meetings are yet another demonstration of the Department's unwavering commitment to protecting national interest.
03:49This is consistent with the second core dynamic of maritime statecraft, the proactive effort to keep bilateral and regional channels
03:59open.
03:59This shows our commitment to managing the situation at sea peacefully,
04:06further reflected by our mandate to assert and uphold Philippine interests while also seeking common ground where possible.
04:16One good example of the Department's efforts in this regard is the provisional understanding on the rotation and resupply mission
04:26to the BRP Sierra Madre.
04:29The provisional understanding is a set of principles and approaches observed by both sides in order to avoid misunderstanding and
04:40miscalculation
04:41in the conduct of the Philippines' routine rotation and resupply missions in the BRP Sierra Madre in a Jungin Shore.
04:51This provisional understanding has now facilitated 13 routine ROREN missions since its inception in July 2024.
05:03All these missions had no reports of untoward incidents.
05:08Nevertheless, the success of the provisional understanding and the safe rotation and reprovisioning of our personnel
05:18has been subjected to uninformed criticism, flawed analysis, and a narrow understanding of both international law and of national objectives.
05:31Allow us to clearly address the erroneous points that have been raised in the public sphere on the matter.
05:39First, there have been mistaken attempts at equating the provisional understanding with provisional arrangements under UNCLOS.
05:50To be clear, the provisional understanding is not nor has ever been a provisional arrangement under Articles 74.3 and
06:0283 of UNCLOS.
06:04Rather, it is an understanding between the Philippines and China with the aim of conflict prevention and conflict avoidance,
06:14which is well contemplated in international law and not just in UNCLOS.
06:20To portray the provisional understanding as a singular application of UNCLOS provisions demonstrates either a fundamentally unfounded interpretation of international
06:34law
06:34or a malicious attempt to deliberately misconstrue the Philippine position and government efforts.
06:43Second, it is a basic principle of governance and international relations that states have the prerogative to ensure the confidentiality
06:55of documents involving matters of great importance,
06:59particularly national security and international relations.
07:04DFA Secretary Maria Teresa Lazaro and her team carefully crafted the provisional understanding,
07:13which was then approved by the highest officials of the Philippine government,
07:18particularly National Secretary-Advisor Eduardo Año.
07:23Indeed, where the country is looking to secure the safety and welfare of Philippine personnel with the active participation of
07:33all national security agencies,
07:36the Philippine government must exercise maximum discipline and focus with minimum diversion and interference.
07:45Third, we reiterate the clear, firm, and enduring position of the Philippines that the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award
07:56has definitively settled that UNCLOS
08:00already defined the scope of maritime entitlements of the Philippines and China in the South China Sea,
08:07and that these entitlements may not extend beyond the limits imposed therein.
08:15There are no valid overlapping maritime claims between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea,
08:23and the historic rights derived from the so-called nine-dash line are without legal effect.
08:30The provisional understanding takes full note of the foregoing
08:35and was drafted specifically to be without prejudice to the Philippines' national position.
08:42The provisional understanding does not require the Philippines to seek permission to undertake ROREM missions,
08:51nor does it allow boarding and inspection of Philippine vessels,
08:56and above all, it does not concede the Philippines' sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.
09:05Indeed, there is an inherent inconsistency and dullness of reasoning
09:11when critics criticize a document that they have not even seen.
09:17The Philippines will continue to implement the provisional understanding as agreed.
09:23We expect China to do the same.
09:26The DFA assures the Filipino people that it will firmly and consistently uphold the Philippines' national interests
09:36and remain vigilant in protecting our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction.
09:43The DFA will continue to use effective diplomacy as the bigger tool in the Philippine government's toolbox
09:53in order to peacefully manage the situation at sea, uphold the welfare of our naval and maritime personnel and artisanal
10:03fishermen,
10:04and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation in the conduct of the Philippines' routine maritime operations in all its maritime zones, including
10:16in the West Philippine Sea.
10:19Thank you very much.
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