Filipino Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla made statements yesterday regarding the coral reefs located within the exclusive economic zone of the South China Sea.
Remulla claimed that they have evidence that China has been damaging the coral reefs and stated that they will pursue the case against China.
He emphasized that the case has nothing to do with the territorial dispute in the South China Sea with China and that "damaging the environment is a sin against humanity.
Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called on the Philippines to "stop creating political drama" and stated that their allegations have "no factual basis."
Mao drew attention to a warship stranded on a reef in the region, which Filipinos call "Ayungin" and Chinese refer to as "Rinai," saying, "If the Philippines truly cares about the ecological environment of the South China Sea, it should immediately pull the illegally grounded warship from Rinai Ciao, prevent it from discharging dirty water into the ocean, and should not allow the rusting warship to cause irreparable harm to the ocean."
