Golez: The Philippines should protest China's plan to build on Scarborough Shoal because: 1. Scarborough is Philippine territory under Republic Act 9522 or the Philippine Baselines Law and 2. Because it is a threat to our national security.

Golez: The Philippines should protest China's plan to build on Scarborough Shoal because:

1.  Scarborough is Philippine territory under Republic Act 9522 or the Philippine Baselines Law and

2.  Because it is a threat to our national security.

RA 9522 provides:
"Section 2. The baseline in the following areas over which the Philippines likewise exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction shall be determined as "Regime of Islands" under the Republic of the Philippines consistent with Article 121 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra2009/ra_9522_2009.html:

"a) The Kalayaan Island Group as constituted under Presidential Decree No. 1596; and

"b) Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal."

It is therefore the duty of the Philippine government to enforce our laws and protest this announced move of China to build an environmental monitoring station on Scarborough Shoal. In addition to not enforcing the law, not protesting could be interpreted as accepting China's ownership of Scarborough Shoal. To reiterate, protesting is the duty of the President and the government in compliance with RA 9522. 

Moreover, this installation poses a serious security threat to the Philippines, a clear and present danger. It is for sure the first step of China towards building bigger structures there such as buildings, harbor, runway, power stations, air defense facilities, missiles, etc. that eventually would convert Scarborough Shoal into a military installation so close to the vital installations of the country like Subic, Clark, Bas Air Base, Metro Manila, Villamor Air Base, Sangley Point and CALABARZON. 

The Shoal is huge and has large potential to become a naval base and airfield because it has a navigable lagoon whose area is almost as big as Quezon City.

Once Scarborough is converted into a military installation, China will be able to complete its envisioned Strategic Triangle consisting of three points:
1. Paracels
2. The cluster of artificial islands like Fiery Cross Reef, Mischief Reef, Subi Reef (all with 3,000 meter runways), etc.
3. Scarborough Shoal.

If China succeeds in completing the Strategic Triangle, China will have full control of the South China, a threat to our national security and the security of our allies in the Asia Pacific region.