The Scarborough Shoal does belong to China which discovered it and drew it in a map as early as 1279 during the Yuan Dynasty. Chinese fishermen, from both the Mainland and Taiwan, have since used it. As a matter of fact, Guo Shoujing, (the Chinese astronomer, engineer and mathematician who worked under the Mongol ruler, Kublai Khan) performed surveying of the South China Sea, and the surveying point was the Scarborough Shoal which is considered part of the Zhongsha Islands (renamed Huangyan Island in 1983).

By contrast, the “old maps” being relied upon by our Department of Foreign Affairs in its spurious claim on the same territory were drawn up only in 1820, or 541 years after China’s. I am surprised that Senator Edgardo Angara—supposedly a renowned lawyer—can claim that a map drawn 5 centuries and 4 decades after, takes precedence over the much earlier map of China.

But I am all the more astonished that Fr. Joaquin Bernas, in his April 22 article in another newspaper, being one of the main framers of the 1987 Constitution, uses the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as his basis to defend the Philippine claim. This, despite and after acknowledging the fact that, indeed, “the Scarborough Shoal is OUTSIDE THE LIMITS set by the Treaty of Paris for Philippine territory.” What kind of double-speak is that?

So, what exactly was the territory we declared independence from the US in 1946? Why is it that NONE of our constitutions, past and present, from 1899, 1935, 1943, 1973, 1986 and 1987, include either the Spratlys or the Scarborough Shoal within our declared national territory? Where, or from whom, did we, all of a sudden, acquire title to these? Out of thin air?

In the late 1970s, China organized many scientific expeditions in the Shoal and around that area. In fact, in 1980, a stone marker reading “South China Sea Scientific Expedition” was installed by China on the South Rock. This Chinese marker was removed, without authority, by the Philippines in 1997.

All official maps published by the Philippines until the 1990s excluded both the Spratlys and Scarborough Shoal from its territorial boundaries. Our own Republic Act No. 3046, passed by our Congress and approved in 1961, stopped us from our claim. Yet, we had the temerity to amend this law on March 10, 2009, after 48 long years, to unilaterally include the disputed territories.

But what takes the cake is the fact that China holds three international treaties in support of its claim over the territories in question—namely, the 1898 Treaty of Paris between the US and Spain, the 1900 Treaty of Washington between Spain and the US, and the 1930 Treaty between Great Britain and the US, all limiting Philippine territorial limits to the 118th degree meridian of longitude east of Greenwich.

On the other hand, the basis of the Philippine claim is restricted to proximity, relying solely on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. As far as I know, a mere “convention” cannot overturn or supersede a treaty or an agreement reached between colonial powers. And even if it were considered a “law”, it cannot be made to take effect retroactively.

Whom are we fooling?

Mr. Arches is from San Juan City. He is a retired investment and merchant banker, a retired Certified Public Accountant, and a retired economist who loves to dabble in history and political science, among many other interests.


(Published in the Manila Standard Today newspaper on /2012/April/28)




中文译文 

它属于中国 

　　斯卡伯勒浅滩确实是属于中国，早在元朝1279年中国就已发现并将其绘入地图。中国渔民，不管是大陆的，还是台湾的，从那时起就一直使用它。实际上，郭守敬（在蒙古统治者忽必烈汗手下工作的天文学家、工程师兼数学家）测绘了南海，测绘点就是作为中沙群岛一部分的斯卡伯勒浅滩（1983年更名为黄岩岛）。

　　相比之下，我们外交部妄称拥有的同一块领土所依据的“老地图”却绘于1820年，或者说比中国绘制的地图晚了541年。令人惊讶的是参议员埃德加多·安加拉（据称还是有名的律师）竟宣称一张晚于中国5个世纪又40年所画的地图比中国那早得多的地图拥有优先权。

更震惊的是华金·贝尔纳神父，作为1987年国家宪法的主要制定人之一，于4月22号在另一份报纸上发文用1982年的《联合国公约海洋法》作为他为菲律宾声索辩护的基础。这是藐视公认的事实，明明白白，斯卡伯勒浅滩不列在巴黎条约所规定的菲律宾领土之内。那为什么罔顾事实虚伪狡辩呢？

　　那么，在1946年，我们摆脱美国宣布独立时，我们精确的疆域应该是什么？为什么一直以来，从1899、1935、1943、1973、1986至1987年，我们的历次宪法都没有提到，宪法不但没有将斯卡伯勒浅滩归入也没有将南沙群岛归入我们所主张的国家领土内。我们突然从何处、从谁哪里一下子就获得了拥有这些岛屿的权力？难道这是凭空可得到的？

　　上个世纪七十年代后期，中国在斯卡伯勒浅滩和附近地区组织了多次科学考察。实际上，中国于1980年在南礁立下一块上面写着“南中国海科学考察”的石碑，1997年，菲律宾擅自将此中文石碑拆除。

　　直到上个世纪九十年代，所有菲律宾官方发行的地图都不把南沙和斯卡伯勒浅滩包括在菲律宾的领土范围之内。1961年我国议会批准通过的我们自己的共和国第3046号法令已经放弃我们对上述岛屿的声索。然而，经过了漫长的48年之后，在2009年3月10日，我们鲁莽地修改该法令，单方面将这些争议岛屿划为既有。

　　但是，叫绝的事实是，中国持有三个国际条约支持其对争议岛屿的主权声索。即：《1898年美西巴黎条约》、《1900年西美华盛顿条约》、《1930年英美条约》。它们都规定菲律宾领土边界限制在格林威治东经118度线。

　　另一方面，菲律宾的声索依据相当局限地仅仅基于1982年的《联合国海洋法公约》。就我所知，仅仅一个“公约”不能推翻或替代殖民统治者之间签订的条约或达成的协议。甚至，即使它真的被当成一个“法”，它也不能生效而追溯改变以前的事实。

我们在糊弄谁呢？



　　这位署名为维克托·阿奇斯的作者来自马尼拉的仙范市。他曾是一名投资家、商业银行家、注册会计师、经济学家，已经退休。他于4月28日在菲律宾第四大报纸《马尼拉标准今日报》发表此文章。