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Anniversary of Hague arbitral tribunal ruling

July 19, 2023 | 12:27pm
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Anniversary of Hague arbitral tribunal ruling
July 19, 2023

A week since the seventh anniversary of the historic ruling at The Hague,  activist fisherfolk group urges the government to protest the presence of more than 50 Chinese Coast Guard vessels and one "monster ship" in the Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) before the international court.

It says that the swarming of the ships violates the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea. 

“While the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) recognizes the freedom of navigation and innocent passage in open seas, a swarm of ships that creates tensions could be deemed illegal," Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) says.

"We urge the Marcos administration to protest and ultimately expel the overwhelming presence of Chinese Coast Guard vessels in our territorial waters. Their presence is a blatant display of military might to assert Beijing’s unjust claim in the West Philippine Sea. President Marcos could raise this recent swarming incident to the United Nations and reassert our sovereign rights upheld by the UNCLOS and other rules of international law," it adds.

July 7, 2023

A week before the seventh anniversary of the arbitral ruling on the South China Sea, fishers are seeking a stronger assertion of national sovereignty.

In a release, activist fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) urges the Marcos administration to “have a stronger action to assert our sovereign rights to China using the arbitral award.”

It stressed that it has been seven years since the Philippines won in the Permanent Court of Arbitration but the Chinese military facilities on seven artificial islands on the Spratlys island remain. It also cited more than 200 Chinese vessels and boats are still regularly patrolling in our territory.

PAMALAKAYA chair Fernando Hicap says President Marcos Jr. should be alarmed over the long-term impact of these actions in the fish production in the country and demanded swift action to protect Filipino fishermen from aggression. 

July 14, 2022

Days after the anniversary of the historic 2016 Hague ruling, China insists the 2016 Hague ruling is "illegal, null and void."

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin says: "The so-called award of the South China Sea arbitration seriously violates international law including the UNCLOS."

The ruling invalidates China's nine-dash claims over the South China Sea. However, Wang says: "China neither accepts nor recognizes it and will never accept any claim or action based on the award." — Kaycee Valmonte

July 12, 2022

The United States reaffirms its commitment to the Philippines on the sixth anniversary of the Hague tribunal ruling.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says it also reaffirms “that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China sea would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty.”

Blinken tthen calls on the People’s Republic of China to “abide by its obligations under international law and cease its provocative behavior.”

“We will continue to work with allies and partners, as well as regional institutions like ASEAN, to protect and preserve the rules-based order.” — Kristine Joy Patag with Kaycee Valmonte

July 12, 2022

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo says July 12, 2016 is remembered as “the day the that affirmed to the community of nations that the rule of law prevails, and that stability, peace and progress can only be attained on a rules-based legal order on the oceans, as it should be everywhere else.”

He adds the award “not only sets reason and right in the South China Sea, but is an inspiration for how matters should be considered—through reason and right—by states facing similarly challenging circumstances.”

Manalo stresses that the findings are conclusive and indisputable, and the award is final.

“We firmly reject attempts to undermine it; nay, even erase it from law, history, and our collective memories. At the same time we welcome the support of a growing list of countries for the Award.” — Kristine Joy Patag

July 12, 2021

On the fifth year since the historic arbitral ruling in the South China Sea, the Philippines has yet to take full advantage of it to pursue its national interests, Vice President Leni Robredo says.

"Our fisherfolk remain unable to enter areas that have been the source of livelihood for generations of Filipinos. Alliances that could have been strengthened were allowed to erode, while those who bully their way into our waters have been treated with deference, and at times, subservience. The dream of a regional architecture founded on respect and mutual prosperity has become even more elusive," she says in a statement.

"The Hague ruling is now a definitive part of international law. It cannot be erased from the history books, and cannot be denied despite the unending lies spewed forth by a formidable machinery of disinformation. Filing the case before the tribunal— standing up for what is right, against the economic and military might of a world power— yielded the admiration and respect of the entire world." 

"Today’s commemoration is a reminder, a challenge, and a promise: That if only we can remember, if only we can unite, if only we can rediscover our spirit and once again stand for what is right— we will find, beneath the rubble of cowardice and neglect, our courage, our dignity, and our national pride."

July 11, 2021

As the Philippines commemorates the fifth anniversary of the July 2016 arbitral ruling, the Liberal Party expresses gratitude to the late president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III for his "good, brave, strong governance."

The opposition party stresses that the Philippines needs a leadership that will uphold the country's rights.

"As we commemorate this landmark ruling, so too do we commemorate the kind of leadership that makes victories like this possible: A leadership founded on the belief that 'The Filipino is worth fighting for,' as opposed to one that cowers and yields to bullies," the LP says in a statement released Sunday, a day before the anniversary of the landmark ruling.

July 12, 2018

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, in response to criticism from former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario of the Duterte administration's handling of issues in the West Philippine Sea, says: "We do not agree with those who lost control of territory by their confrontational hubris."

He says President Rodrigo Duterte has instead "forged friendship which has obtained benefits for our people, boosted investment and trade for our economy, reduced the threat of conflict, and opened the door to confidence-building talks between ASEAN and China."

He says issues with China are handled through a dialogue between friends and not as an argument between adevrsaries.

"All this time, we are building up our capabilities to eventually assert our sovereign rights and interests. That is the policy that works for our nation," he says.

July 12, 2018

The Quezon City government has ordered its Public Safety personnel to remove tarpaulins that refer to the Philippines as a province of China.

In a Palace briefing earlier Thursday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said "enemies of the government" are behind the banners.

Social media users, including former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, are reporting seeing banners saying "Welcome to the Philippines, Province of China" hanging from overpasses in parts of Metro Manila.

The sightings coincide with the second anniversary of an arbitral tribunal ruling that China's sweeping nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea has no legal basis. The Philippines has opted to play down the ruling and focus on nurturing better political and economic relations with China.

It is unclear who put up the banners, which are a possible reference to a "joke" that President Rodrigo Duterte told Chinese-Filipino business leaders in February. 

"He (Xi) is a man of honor. They can even make us 'Philippines, province of China," we will even avail of services for free," Duterte said in apparent jest. "If China were a woman, I'd woo her."

The Palace said the remark was meant to impress the audience, who were Filipino citizens of Chinese descent.

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