Citing a study of the United Nations Environment Program, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday said China's massive reclamation activities in the South China Sea have destroyed 300 acres of coral reefs systems, which may lead to an estimated $100 million in annual economic losses in coastal states. Jose said China has tolerated environmentally harmful fishing practices by its nationals at the Philippines' Bajo de Masinloc, also called Panatag or Scarborough Shoal, which breaches China's obligations under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Lee-Brago, P. (2015, April 14). Destructive China reclamation hit. The Philippine Star, pp. 1, 12.