Win or lose: Philippines to honor China case decision

MANILA, Philippines - Win or lose, the Philippines will honor the decision of the arbitral tribunal on the case filed against China.

“I think in terms of the resulting award, win or lose we will accept the award. We expect at the very least for China to do the same,” Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario told the press on Thursday.

The Philippines filed an arbitration case against China last January 2013, which the latter refused to participate in.

China ignored the deadline set by the international court last December 2014 to defend its expansive territorial claims in the disputed South China Sea and West Philippine Sea.

Beijing earlier reiterated that it will not participate in an arbitration as it would only accept bilateral negotiations with Manila.

“Its underlying goal is not to seek peaceful resolution of the South China Sea issue but rather, by resorting to arbitration, to put political pressure on China, so as to deny China’s lawful rights in the South China Sea through the so-called ‘interpretation or application’ of the convention,” the foreign ministry of China said.

According to Del Rosario, the oral arguments of the case is scheduled in July while the final decision is expected in six months or early 2016.

“The way it has been estimated for us, by March we should be submitting our responses to the queries that were handed down by the arbitral tribunal and China has until June to respond to our responses,” Del Rosario said.

The Philippines resorted to international arbitration because the country believes that international law is "the great equalizer," Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Cuisia Jr. earlier said in front of Washington-based journalists.

According to Cuisia, a Washington study supports the position of the Philippines on the need for clarification on the territorial disputes.

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