DFA, international community commemorate PH arbitral win

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Delegation of the European Union in the Philippines, New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Japanese Embassy in Manila, among others, commemorated the 2016 arbitral tribunal win that invalidated the basis of China's sweeping maritime claims in the resource-rich South China Sea.

- By RAYMUND ANTONIO

In a statement on July 12, Saturday, the DFA marked the ninth anniversary of the landmark ruling on the South China Sea issue, underscoring the need to follow international laws, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

"Since its promulgation by the Arbitral Tribunal, this Arbitral Award continues to serve as a guide for the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law and its dispute settlement mechanisms," the statement read.

Noting that the award is "now entrenched in international jurisprudential community," the statement added.

The DFA furthered that the arbitral award "will continue to be a cornerstone of Philippine maritime policy and the country's unflinching advocacy for a rules-based order governed by international law."

"The Filipino nation will always look to the enduring guidance of the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea in asserting its rights and entitlements in its maritime domain and in protecting its sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction," it added.