MANILA - The National Security Council says it will look into reports that extensive piles of crushed coral reefs have been dumped in Sandy Cay in the West Philippine Sea.
National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya says it will “verify the circumstances and the facts behind what happened” in Sandy Cay to disprove allegations that it is “creating political drama” against China.
“So in the meantime, dahil ang balitang ito ay kapuputok lamang, uunahanin muna namin ang pagverify,” Malaya said in a televised briefing.
“Ang naging reaksyon ng Chinese government doon sa environmental degradation sa Escoda Shoal at Sabina Shoal, ay political drama daw diumano ito ng ating bansa. Dito naman sa Sandy Cay, ay aalamin natin kung ano ba talaga ang nangyari, dahil yung mga ang crushed coral na naitambak dyan, sino ba talaga ang nagtambak diyan? Pangalawa no ang mga circumstances na nangyari?” he added.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines earlier suspected China of harvesting corals in Rozul Reef, before dumping the "processed" coral reefs in some parts of the West Philippine Sea.
“We must verify the circumstances and the facts behind what happened here, kasi baka sabihin na gumagawa na naman tayo ng political drama out of fiction. So para masiguro natin ang ating mga hakbang, the first thing that we must do is due diligence, at alamin natin the circumstances ng nangyari,” he said.