MANILA – Former Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio warned that the presence of Chinese vessels at Julian Felipe Reef should be a cause of concern as it may prelude to occupation and building of a naval base.
The Chinese militia vessels according to Carpio, should not be allowed to park on Julian Felipe Reef “because that is not their exclusive economic zone.”
“I’m particularly worried that they will now start claiming, building on the Julian Felipe Reef,” Carpio told ABS-CBN News Channel’s Headstart on Wednesday.
Carpio, who was among luminaries that represented Manila before an international tribunal in its case against Beijing, explained that China did the same tactic when they occupied the Mischief Reef in 1995.
“They started by saying they just built a fishermen shelter on Mischief Reef. Now, Mischief Reef is their air and naval base, they call it their Pearl Harbor in the South China Sea. It’s a huge air and naval base,” the former associate justice said.
“We should be wary, very wary of what’s happening in Julian Felipe Reef,” he added. “That has been (China’s) playbook, that’s what they did in Subi Reef, and even in Sandy Cay.”
The Philippine Coast Guard previously reported that around 220 vessels, believed to be manned by Chinese maritime militia personnel, were sighted in line formation at the Julian Felipe Reef on March 7.
As of Monday morning, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said there were only 183 Chinese militia vessels remaining in the area that China calls Niu’e Jiao and claimed to be part of its Nansha Undao.
The Department of Foreign Affairs filed a diplomatic protest over their presence at the reef, which is located approximately 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan./PN
