The Philippines has done some minor “repairs and maintenance” work in Filipino-occupied areas within the country’s exclusive economic zone which is allowed under international law unlike the massive land reclamations by China which are far from its territory and grossly violates the law, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said Tuesday.
At the same time, Del Rosario said the Philippines will be filing a protest “as soon as possible” against China for its use of water cannon against Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal, which reportedly injured some of the men, after that has been verified by local authorities.
Such “use of force” on the shoal, locally known as Bajo de Masinloc and which came under Chinese control after a 2012 standoff with the Philippines, is forbidden under the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea or DOC and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, he said.
In an interview at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Del Rosario said he could not immediately remember the details of the “repairs and maintenance” works done by the Philippines, but suggested these were minor fixes that were done on old, existing structures in Filipino-occupied features in the West Philippine Sea.