ON the 128th Philippine Independence Day, we celebrate the appreciation of the Filipino youth and all Filipinos for freedom, and to reiterate their united call for the preservation of our sovereignty, particularly in the West Philippine Sea and territorial integrity.
In the midst of the brewing tensions in the region, we have remained steadfast as ever.
We have remained committed to the idea of a free Republic and today, the fruits of our collective aspirations shall bear.
It was on June 12, 1898, when the first colors of freedom were unfurled at the still infantile Republic of the Philippines.
The sound of the anthem, with its vigorous tone that exudes everything that makes us Filipino, still resonates to this day.
Yet, as many of us may fail to realize, we lost our freedom again 31 years ago when imperialist China illegally grabbed our territory, Panganiban (Mischief) Reef. Now, it serves as one of their major military bases.
Acting like modern-day conquistadores, they have cemented their hold since then: sending more men and more ships to engage in a series of coercive activities in our seas, usurping our sovereignty.
Since then, they have dredged more of our centuries-old reefs and created islands out of them-for military purposes.
China created artificial island in our Zamora Reef or Subi Reef which is 12 nautical miles from Pag-asa Island, Kalayaan, Palawan and it is also now militarized.
Adding further injury to this insult, they have disseminated fabricated lies and asserted their aggrandized delusions to the rest of the world.
Their bellicose actions have hurt our country in many, unprecedented ways, especially during Covid-19 pandemic; our economy is severely affected, with our countrymen deprived of thousands of jobs and lost income.
Most of all, they have disturbed the harmonious status quo in the region.
They have compelled their neighbors, including us, to an arms race, forcing governments to buy guns and missiles from funds that were meant for books, housing and medicines.
With each passing day this issue remains unresolved — despite the Philippines’ historic victory against China’s nine-dash line claims at the Arbitral Tribunal on July 12, 2016 — the grim specter of conflict looms ever larger.
As a peace-loving nation, one of the only few countries in the world who has enshrined the promise of non-belligerence to its own Constitution, the Filipino people are against war and all other forms of conflict.
As a clear manifestation of this, in January 2013, during late President Benigno Aquino’s presidency, our own government resorted to the international law to regain our sovereign rights in our West Philippine Sea.
In this non-violent path, we have gained the respect and recognition of the international community, and they accepted and respect the Arbitral Tribunal Award to the Philippines.
We have never faltered on our aspiration for a community of nations that exist side by side for the collective good of mankind.
We abhor the proliferation of irrationality and displaced ego among men in power, not only from our own but also from all nations.
The Filipino youth is clearly a victim in this issue. As most are still in a very young age, they are oblivious of the creeping invasion of their homeland.
It is vital that we fear the day our sons and daughters can no longer call the Kalayaan Island Group and Scarborough Shoal their own, the day we see foreign labels on goods sourced in the West Philippine Sea, and the day we must endure the belligerent, routine maneuvers of foreign military equipment violating our seas and airspace.
We shall not waver!
Today, we will not be cowed down to submission by those who usurp our freedom.
That is why we, the Filipino youth and all patriotic Filipinos of all ages, recognize our duty to uphold the preservation of the Philippines’ sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the State.
Cognizant of the importance of the West Philippine Sea to our national progress, we established the National Youth Movement for the West Philippines Sea on September 28, 2015 — a peaceful, transglobal, and non-partisan organization that embodies our collective ideals, goals, and objectives.
These are the Filipino youth and all patriotic Filipinos acting today! For the sake of our country! For the sake of our people!
We will show the world that we will not stand by as what is clearly entitled to our people are pillaged by foreign plunderers from far-away lands.
We will not stand by as our fishermen are being hosed down, their boats destroyed, and their dignity treated like rags as they are unjustly stripped of their livelihood.
We will not stand by when aggressors build weapons of war in our seas and subjugate us with their air bases, their fighter jets, and ships!
We will not stand by as our Philippine Coast Guard and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessels and their crew are harassed and being injured by water cannons, lasers resulting in temporary blindness, among other violent and inhumane acts to our people!
We will not stand by as our head of the Department of National Defense and his family are banned from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, showing China’s intimidation and a warning to ordinary Filipino citizens that we cannot say anything against China even our Philippine sovereignty and territorial integrity are at stake.
The presence of the Chinese Liaoning Aircraft Carrier and the high-intensity drills conducted by People’s Liberation Army Navy in the West Philippine Sea, the presence of more than 100 Chinese vessels illegally operating in and around the Juan Felipe Reef or Whitsun Reef located around 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza town of Palawan which is a repetition of China’s incursion in our territory with the presence of 220 Chinese militia boats in the Julian Felipe Reef or Whitsun Reef which is within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone as early as March 7, 2021, the presence of China’s militia vessels in Escoda (Sabina Shoal) and China’s unilateral imposition of the fishing ban in our West Philippine Sea which starts on May and expected to last until August of each year, resulting to the existing deprivation and devastation of the livelihood of our fishermen while China is enjoying our fish and other marine resources in our territory, and recently, the construction activities of China in Scarborough Shoal.
And these are all unacceptable, illegal, non-negotiable and inhumane.
These are blatant violations by China of the international law, specifically the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 2002 Declaration of the Code of Conduct of the parties in the South China Sea where ASEAN and China signed that promised to “enhance favorable conditions for a peaceful and durable solution of differences and disputes among countries concerned,” and the Arbitral Tribunal Ruling in favor of the Philippines on July 12, 2016.
We, thus, call on the various responsible agencies to assert and defend our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, to uphold the constitutional mandate to defend our territorial integrity and national interest, and that the Chinese vessels operating within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ and territorial waters must be immediately expelled.
We will not stand by as our people are deprived to our right to sovereignty and sovereign rights in our West Philippine Sea!
The West Philippine Sea, from its pristine waters, long stretches of coral reefs beyond the eyes can see, with its richly endowed marine life, oil, and natural gas, is ours and ours alone!
We will uphold our duty as the Filipino youth and patriotic Filipinos to ensure its preservation today and for as long as we live in this world.
Long live the National Youth Movement for the West Philippines Sea!
Long live the Free Republic of the Philippines!
God bless the Philippines!
God bless the Filipino people!
DR. CELIA LAMKIN
Founder and Global Chairperson
National Youth Movement for the West Philippine Sea
