PH to raise ‘nature reserve’ issue in next PH-China bilateral talks

By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora, Philippine News Agency

PH RIGHTS. Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro delivers her keynote remarks at the 7th Katipunan Conference in Quezon City on Wednesday (Oct. 15, 2025). In her speech, Lazaro reaffirmed Manila’s commitment to protecting the country’s rights over the West Philippine Sea. (Photo: PNA/Facebook)

MANILA – China’s plan to unilaterally establish a nature reserve in the Bajo de Masinloc is among the subjects the Philippines is set to raise in its upcoming bilateral talks with the Asian superpower, Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said on Wednesday.

“The reserve that they’re saying, that will definitely be on the table when the time comes,” she said, referring to the next meeting of the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea.

For the first time since Beijing announced its plans for the feature, the Philippines on Oct. 13, documented the Chinese Coast Guard mentioning the nature reserve to block access to the area.

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Jay Tarriela said the Chinese Coast Guard delayed a humanitarian mission to supply Filipino fisherfolk in the feature, and delivered a radio challenge claiming that the presence of Filipino boats there could damage their so-called environmental reserve.

The Philippines had recently protested China’s plan to establish its “Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve,” calling it “illegitimate and unlawful” for infringing upon the country’s rights over the feature.

With Bajo de Masinloc forming part of the Philippine territory, only the Philippine government has the authority to designate maritime protected areas or MPAs in these waters.

The 10th and latest BCM was convened in China early this year, wherein the two states agreed to continue the implementation of a provisional agreement on the resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.

The BCM had served as a venue where the two sides could discuss the South China Sea dispute in a frank and constructive manner.

Lazaro, meanwhile, did not disclose when the next BCM meeting would be held.

At the 7th Katipunan Conference in Quezon City, she assured the public that the government will continue to uphold international law in asserting its rights over the West Philippine Sea.

“In the face of increasingly aggressive and illegal actions against our people in waters where we maintain sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, international law is firmly on our side and bolsters our diplomacy and our defense of our legitimate national interests,” she said.

“Our position on this case is clear and unwavering. Maritime claims in the South China Sea cannot go beyond the legal limits set by UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), which was affirmed by the historic 2016 Arbitral Award.”