CLARK FREEPORT — The fi sherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) “strongly condemned” yesterday the deployment of missile systems of China on three artificial islands in Kalayaan Group of Islands also known as Spratly Islands.”
“We condemn China’s installation of military armaments in our marine territory in the strongest possible terms. China has already reached the peak of violating our sovereign and territorial rights. And this is despite the existence of an international law which guarantees that the West Philippine Sea are indisputably part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and extended continental shelf,” Pamalakaya chair Fernando Hicap said in a statement.
Reports claimed that China has installed cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on Kagitingan Reef (Fiery Cross), Zamora Reef (Subi), and Panganiban Reef (Mischief) – three of the seven reefs seized and transformed by China into artificial islands despite the international arbitration decision invalidating their claim.
Pamalakaya decried the “Duterte government’s constant silence on the issue,” as it blamed the President for the situation off the country’s western coast.
“We hold Duterte accountable over this Chinese takeover of our marine territory and resources. His consistent defeatist approach on this long-running sea row has now led to complete transformation of our resource-rich territory into a fortified Chinese military zone,” Hicap said.
This as he called on “all Filipinos and patriots to unite and defend the territory against Chinese invasion and other forms of foreign intervention.”
“We call on the Filipino patriots to unite and actively assert our exclusive rights in the West Philippine Sea. We have no illusions that our President will step up to his role as chief executive and uphold our sovereign rights and territorial integrity,” Hicap said.
