MANILA — The position of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) that Julian Felipe Reef is within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) has not changed.
Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. made the clarification amid the confusion caused by the statement of Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in his virtual presser on Tuesday.
“At the moment, DFA statements on the Julian Felipe Reef issue (that it lies within the EEZ of the Republic of the Philippines) remains unchanged,” Locsin said.
The reef, according to the DFA, is located 175 nautical miles west of Batarza town in Palawan, and well within the 200-nautical mile EEZ rule of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS.
According to Roque on Tuesday, Julian Felipe Reef, where around 200 Chinese ships were sighted in March, is not part of the Philippines’ EZZ, going against statements made by the Defense and Foreign Affairs departments.
Locsin, in a separate Twitter post on Wednesday, made an indirect tirade to the Palace spokesperson with regards to who has a say on the Philippines’ foreign affairs.
“This is my last warning. When it comes to foreign affairs, the Department of Foreign Affairs has the exclusive remit. I don’t come from diplomacy; I come from a life that settled the hash of a lotta people who talked tough and ended up biting dirt. I don’t talk, I deal,” Locsin said.
Roque later clarified his statement. He said the Philippine government has never abandoned the country’s claim over the Julian Felipe Reef in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“We reiterate that the Philippines has claim – and has never abandoned our claim – over Julian Felipe Reef by virtue of a Presidential Decree (PD) issued by former President Ferdinand Marcos saying it is part of the Kalayaan Group of Islands,” Roque said.
Roque added that while the reef is within the Philippines’ 200 nautical miles of EEZ, it still forms part of the territorial sea generated by two High Tide Elevations (HTEs) currently occupied by China (Mckennan) and Vietnam (Sin Cowe).
The Julian Felipe Reef, also a part of the Kalayaan Island Group, is located 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan. Its distance from the nearest coast of China or Hainan Island is 638 nautical miles./PN
