China holds PH liable for 60 million pesos in damages

By: Charie Abarca – 1 min ago

(AFP)

MANILA, Philippines – “The Philippine side must face the consequences of its actions.”

These were the words of Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning when asked whether China would pay the Philippines P60 million following the June 17 incident at Ayungin Reef in which Chinese personnel wounded a Filipino sailor and damaged Philippine naval equipment.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Commander General Romeo Brawner Jr. said he personally wrote to Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. about the AFP’s payment request and asked if it could be forwarded to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) “so they can contact their counterparts in China.”

However, China did not give a categorical answer as to whether it would pay or not.

Mao merely insisted on China’s claim to the Ayungin Reef and claimed that the Philippines were carrying out illegal supply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre.

“The Philippine ships were conducting an illegal resupply mission, violating China’s territorial waters and carrying out a provocation when they were stopped by the Chinese coast guard, which acted lawfully and correctly to defend China’s sovereignty,” Mao said at a regular press conference on Thursday after being asked for comment on AFP’s claim.

China’s ongoing aggression in Philippine waters is based on a comprehensive claim to large parts of the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea.

However, this argument was rejected by an arbitration tribunal in a historic ruling long ago.

The Ayungin Reef is located on Philippine territory.

“The Ayungin Reef is located 423.30 nautical miles from the Paracel Islands and 617.39 nautical miles from mainland China – well beyond the 200 nautical miles considered the maximum maritime boundary for an exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” the Foreign Ministry previously said.

“China cannot therefore exercise legitimate sovereignty over it,” it said.