Our maritime problems arose when China claimed ownership of and sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea (SCS), and seized several isles and rocks therein, like the Paracels in 1974, Fiery Cross Reef in 1987, Johnson South Reef and Subi Reef in 1988, and Mischief Reef in 1995, the last three being within our exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Being quite far, these activities did not cause much concern to ordinary Filipinos at the time. But the Chinese seizure in 2012 of nearby Scarborough Shoal rang deafening alarm bells in the ears of then President Benigno Aquino III. Though Aquino was convinced of our marine entitlements granted by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), he did not have the military assets to protect them. Neither did he want to engage China in bilateral talks, thinking he could not win a one-on-one clash with a military and economic giant.

Panganiban, A. V. (2019, August 11). Uniting goals and methods in WPS. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A11.