NATIONAL YOUTH MOVEMENT FOR THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA PROTEST RALLY AGAINST CHINA'S INVASION AND AGGRESSION and WEST PHILIPPINE SEA FORUM

By Dr. Celia Lamkin
Guam
April 27, 2016



The NYMWPS recognizes the duty of the youth to uphold the territorial integrity of the Philippines and is cognizant to the importance of the West Philippine Sea to its national progress. It has the following Principles and Objectives:

1. To assert the position of the Filipino youth that fully recognizes the indisputable sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of  the Philippines over its claims in the West Philippine Sea in conformity with the international law. 

2. To instill the values of patriotism to the Filipino youth as well as to rekindle their national spirit. 

3. To effectively educate the youth on the West Philippine Sea and raise awareness on its socioeconomic and political importance to the nation. 

4. To enable the youth to participate in activities that shall protect the marine resources in the West Philippine Sea as well as to protect the rights and welfare of other sectors in the West Philippine Sea such as those in Pag-Asa Island and other Kalayaan Group of Islands, Palawan and the Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc, Masinloc, Zambalez.

A protest rally organized by the NYMWPS Netherlands chapter headed by its chair, Rosalinda Detras, will be held on April 28, 2016, at 11 am in front of the Permanent Court of Arbitration 
(  PCA) at the Peace Palace (  Vredapaleis) , The Hague, Netherlands. 
If the decision of the UN PCA favors the Philippines, this rally will be a victory rally but at the same time a protest against China's new reclamation project plan in the Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc which is within the 200 miles Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ) of the Philippines and China's continuous aggression in the West Philippine Sea. 
In the Philippines, the protest rally in front of The Chinese Consulate that was scheduled onThursday, April 28, from 9 am to 11 am, will be postponed until further notice due to the busy campaign rallies in the vicinity. 

On Saipan, the rally organized by NYMWPS global chair Dr. Celia Lamkin and NYMWPS Marianas chapter will be held on Saturday, April 30, from 3 pm to 4 pm, at the San Jose Intersection, Beach Road,  Susupe, Saipan. On Guam, the rally will be held in front of the ITC Building at the San Antonio Road corner North Marine Corps Drive, Tamuning, from3pm to 4 pm. 
Similar rallies will also happen in May and June in the Philippines and at the different cities in the U.S., Guam, Europe, Canada, Australia, UK,  among other chapters of the NYMWPS. 
The NYMWPS Filipino youth are calling for actions in the Philippines and globally to protest against China's continued occupation, invasion and militarization of the West Philippine Sea. 

 Further, the National Youth Movement for the West Philippine Sea, in partnership  with the University of the Philippines Association of Political Science Majors will hold a public forum entitled “Kabataan, Karapatan, Kalayaan sa Karagatan” which would cover the historical and legal context of the claims of the Philippines on islands in the West Philippine Sea as well as the policies being undertaken by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The West Philippine Sea Forum will be held at the UP Diliman School of Economics Room 127 from 4:00pm until 7:00pm on April 29, 2016 (Friday). The guest speakers are Professor Jay Batongbacal of the UP College of Law and  Mr. Romulo Ubay, Jr. from the Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs. 

See related article:
·        Launching of the National Youth Movement for the West Philippine Sea Marianas Chapter April 23,2016