MALACAÑANG on Tuesday, May 21, said the public may "draw (their own) conclusion" on whether China's imposition of its annual fishing moratorium in the disputed South China Sea is objectionable.
Asked during the press briefing Tuesday on whether the Palace finds it unacceptable for China to restrict fishing activities in Philippine waters, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said: "Well, the policy of the government will always be consistent with its policy that it will assert its sovereignty over there [that] is claimed to be its own. So it will always pursue that line."
"Draw your conclusion if that's against the sovereignty. That's our position, which is, is it? Is it objectionable for a sovereign country to have its property or island assaulted or intruded into? If your answer is yes, then the answer to your question is yes," he added.
He said the executive department would rather leave it to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. to issue a "direct" statement on China's fishing ban.
"Whatever the position of Secretary Locsin would be the position of the President," the Palace official said.
"I'll leave that to the Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary. I will leave it to him. He's the head of the Foreign Affairs department. Nobody is going to direct anybody, not even the President. The department heads know their jobs. They will do as directed by the President in the previous Cabinet meetings," he added.
China's annual fishing moratorium in designated areas of the South China Sea started on May 1 and will last until August 16.
The ban covers areas claimed by other nations like Vietnam's Paracel Islands and the Philippines' Scarborough Shoal.
Chinese state-run media Xinhua reported that Beijing's fishing ban, which commenced in 1999, aims to protect the ocean's ecosystem and biodiversity from excessive fishing.
Reports said China is on the lookout for any violations that may be committed by Chinese and foreign fishermen. (Ruth Abbey Gita/SunStar Philippines)