Malacañang considered the harvesting of Chinese vessels of giant clams in the Scarborough or Panatag Shoal as violation to Philippines territory and sovereignty.
“Siyempre (of course), natural because if it’s our territory, therefore it is an affront to our territory and to our sovereignty,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.
Panelo said, Foreign Affairs Sec. Teddyboy Locsin will take legal action after filing a note verbale against the Chinese activities that endangers maritime resources in the shoal claimed by the Philippines.
However, Panelo refused to preempt Locsin’s next move because “that is his territory.”
Meanwhile, Panelo also believed that “China, as far as it is concerned, it owns the vast South China Sea, hence, it will be performing acts of ownership or sovereignty over those areas.
“In other words, they are just being consistent with themselves. Eh tayo rin, we have to be consistent with ours. As far as we are concerned, that is ours so we will be objecting to any intrusion into our own territory,” adds Panelo.
