Philippine court orders government to protect South China Sea

The Philippine Supreme Court has issued an orderdirecting the government to "protect, preserve, rehabilitate and torestore" the marine environment in three areas the country claims inthe disputed South China Sea.The writ of kalikasan (nature) issued Friday covers ScarboroughShoal, Second Thomas Shoal and Mischief Reef.The order was prompted by a petition filed by environmental activistsand fishermen alleging the Philippine government has failed to actagainst Chinese incursions and destructive activities in the threeareas."The Supreme Court, in a special en banc session held on Friday,issued a writ of kalikasan to protect, preserve, rehabilitate, and torestore the marine environment in Scarborough Shoal (also known asPanatag Shoal), Ayungin Shoal, and Panganiban Reef (also known asMischief Reef)," a court statement said. Among the government agencies named in the directive were theDepartment of Environment and Natural Resource, the Department ofAgriculture, the Philipine Navy, the Coast Guard, the national policeand the Department of Justice.There was no immediate reaction from the government on the order. China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a key shipping lanebelieved to be rich in marine and mineral resources. Other claimantsare the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. In 2016, an international tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijinghas no legal or historical basis for its so-called "nine-dash line,"which demarcates its claims to almost the entire South China Sea.