From the Newsrooms: June 2 to 8, 2024

PH asserts sovereignty in WPS anew; Mt. Kanlaon erupts

HEADLINES FLARED with the news of Mount Kanlaon’s eruption and the country’s assertion of sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Coverage picked up the pointed emphasis to Philippine rights over its territories in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s keynote speech in Singapore on May 3. As media reported more cases of harassment of Philippine vessels, news tracked the emission of lahar and ash from Kanlaon’s blast on June 3. 

 “I will not yield,” Marcos reiterated his commitment to protecting Philippine sovereignty in the WPS when he addressed the 21st International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD). He called for regional peace and stability in all disputed waters, urging all parties to adhere to international laws and protocols. He also emphasized the role of the United States in ensuring security and enforcing international law. When asked about invoking the mutual defense treaty with the US amidst the ongoing hostilities in the WPS, Marcos responded, “not so much as one Filipino losing his life in the West Philippine Sea in a willful attack by aggressors triggers the invocation of our treaty with international allies.” 

Marcos has expressed similar sentiments in previous speeches, but the SLD provided a significant platform, an event attended by defense ministers, military officials, and heads of ministries from Asia-Pacific North America, Europe, and the Middle East. 

Experts praised President Marcos’ assertiveness and strategic approach in an ABS-CBN News report. Professor Renato De Castro from De La Salle University noted that Marcos’ indirect approach to discussing sensitive matters, without directly naming China, demonstrated “boldness” and “sophistication.” Professor Don McLain Gill, also from De La Salle University, highlighted that Marcos made a powerful statement by asserting that Southeast Asian nations can proactively act to maintain regional stability, which, according to Gill, would resonate with many in the area. The Stratbase ADR Institute observed that Marcos’ speech could rally regional support for upholding international law in the Indo-Pacific.

China’s Defense Minister Dong Jun, speaking at the same event on June 2 two days after Marcos’ keynote, warned that Beijing’s restraint in the South China Sea has limits amid ongoing “provocations” by a “certain country.” According to an Agence France-Presse report published in The Philippine Star, Dong expressed concerns over increased defense cooperation between the Philippines and the US and criticized the latter’s deployment of missile systems in the Philippines waters in April, alleging it destabilized regional security.

The Chinese Embassy on June 3 circulated through media a statement from an unnamed foreign ministry spokesperson criticizing Marcos’ speech for disregarding history and pushing the Philippines’ “wrongful position on the South China Sea.” The statement reiterated China’s claim to several areas in the WPS.

Days after the SLD, new cases of harassment were recorded by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). 

On June 4 and 5, Chinese maritime forces attempted to drive away a team of Filipino scientists, accompanied by the PCG and some journalists, during a research mission to assess the marine environment at Escoda Shoal in the WPS. Several reports said the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and the People’s Liberation Army Navy boats tailed and repeatedly rammed the PCG vessel in an attempt to inhibit the research activity, declaring that they were in Chinese territory. Despite the interference, the scientists were able to collect coral samples.

Professor Jonathan Anticamara of the UP Institute of Biology, part of the research team, called the situation in the shoal an “ecological disaster.” In a TV Patrol, he described the coral ecosystem in the shoal as nearly 100 percent dead.  Anticamara also noted in a GMA News Online report that they found crushed corals piled near the shore, which the PCG claimed were dumped by China as part of their island-building efforts. Anticamara could not confirm this claim due to a lack of evidence directly linking the damage to Chinese activities.

Meanwhile, the PCG announced on June 5 that the US Coast Guard would deploy its North Pacific Coast Guard following Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan’s proposal for greater deployment in high seas to address the threat posed by China’s new regulation of detaining supposed trespassers in its claimed maritime boundaries. 

Former Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, speaking at Storycon on June 6, stated that this action would invoke the freedom of navigation established by the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal, challenging China’s claim to the territory. Carpio emphasized that the country should encourage navies and coastguards from around the world to navigate the WPS.

Mt. Kanlaon eruption

Television and online news sites reported the eruption of Mount Kanlaon on the same day of the blast on June 3. The phreatic, or steam-driven explosion, produced a 5,000-meter plume, causing coarse ash fall in nearby villages. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) placed Kanlaon on Alert Level 2. The volcano continues to emit sulfur dioxide, with emissions reaching 4,397 tons per day as of June 8.

Ash fell on communities on the western slope, including Bago, La Carlota, La Castellana, and Canlaon, reaching parts of Bacolod which is 85 kilometers away. Haze from volcanic particles was observed even in the Bicol Region. A mandatory evacuation within a 3-kilometer radius was ordered. Reports included interviews with Canlaon Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas who said 23,622 residents of five barangays were affected. The provincial governments declared Canlaon and La Castellana under a state of calamity.

The eruption led to the cancellation of at least 29 flights at Ninoy Aquino International Airport and airports in Bacolod, Cebu,  Cagayan de Oro, Davao, General Santos, Kalibo, Iloilo, and San Jose. 

Digicast Negros reported a PHP9.9 million damage in crops affecting around 1,630 vegetable farmers in Canlaon City. Emissions contaminated water sources in La Castellana and La Carlota City in Negros Occidental. The ash fall also affected around 23,000 hectares of sugarcane fields in Negros Oriental.  

On June 5, heavy rains washed volcanic mud into villages below the volcano. Rappler report tracked the flow of lahar through waterways, including the Tamburong Creek, which courses through Biak-na-Bato and Calapnagan in La Castellana, Negros Occidental; the Intiguiwan River in Guinpanaan and upstream Baji-Baji Falls in Cabacungan, La Castellana, Negros Occidental; the Padudusan Falls in Masulog, Canlaon City, Negros Oriental; and the Binalbagan River, which drains the southern flank of Kanlaon Volcano. While lahar flows were generally “channel confined,” the flow volume rendered several roads impassable. 

Frontline Pilipinas reported that the quick action of Philippine National Police and the Department of Public Works and Highways in Negros Occidental, immediately scraping the lahar before it hardened. 

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration advised the local government to prepare for more overflows as the rainy season has started. Over 700 families have already been evacuated in La Castellana, and the media reported around 3,000 people displaced. 

Meanwhile, in other news:

• Keeping media focus on a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) in Pampanga, reports picked more information as authorities raided The Lucky South 99 Pogo complex in Porac on June 5. Reports said the hub was being used for human trafficking, citing allegations of torture and exploitation of foreign workers in the sex trade. The rescued included at least 157 foreign nationals, predominantly Chinese, along with Vietnamese, Malaysians, Burmese, and one Korean, alongside 29 Filipino workers.
  
  Inquirer.net emphasized this as the second high-profile Pogo raid in Central Luzon this year. Reports underscored ongoing concerns over illicit activities linked to these establishments prompting renewed calls for stricter regulation or the outright banning of Pogos in the country.