DFA: 2016 Arbitral Award now entrenched in int'l jurisprudence

Despite China's persistent refusal to recognize or honor it, the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea now forms part of international law, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reaffirmed yesterday.

- MICHAEL PUNONGBAYAN, Jose Rodel Clapano, Alexis Romero

"Now entrenched in international jurisprudence, this historic ruling has been cited by the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea and the International Court of Justice in rendering their decisions, further reinforcing the legitimacy and finality of the 2016 Arbitral Award," the DFA said in a statement.

Issued on July 12, 2016 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the award stemmed from a case filed by the Philippines in 2013, challenging China's sweeping claims over nearly 85 percent of the South China Sea through its so-called "nine-dash line." The tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines, declaring China's claims as inconsistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The ruling also clarified the legal status of several maritime features in the Spratly Islands and Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.

Since then, this nine-year-old arbitral ruling has served as a guide in peaceful resolution of maritime territorial disputes, according to the DFA.