The Philippines has reiterated its firm resolve to remain steadfast against China’s territorial territorial encroachments that undermine its sovereignty over its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea.
National Security Adviser Eduardo Año made this vow as Manila marks the 8th anniversary of the historic Arbitral Award on the South China Sea on Friday.
“For the Philippines — notwithstanding the challenges we face —we will continue to stand our ground and push back against coercion, interference, malign influence and other tactics that seek to jeopardize our security and stability,” Año declared at Stratbase ADR Institute’s forum titled “The 8th Year of the Arbitral Victory: A Collective Pursuit of Maritime Security in the West Philippine Sea” at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City.
“We will do all of these not merely for the country’s interests, but more importantly, for our common interests in the Indo-Pacific Region and beyond,” he added and stressed that respect and adherence to international law should neither be optional nor should be based on a state’s own caprice, benefit, or convenience, stressing that this is crucial in ensuring world order.
“We must then work arm-in-arm to vigorously pursue this collective vision — showing to the world that it is workable and possible to give rise to a free, peaceful, and secured world — if, and only if, we act sincerely and responsibly under international laws that govern, unite, and bind us together,” he stressed.
Año added that Manila would continuously engage, build partnerships, and seek wider international support to “defend and protect what is rightfully ours, and as a peaceful nation, our doors are always open to open and frank discussions based on mutual respect and sincerity.”
He added that the Philippines would continue to rally its partners and allies, and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, to make a united stand against those that seek to undermine the arbitral ruling and to express the important role international law plays in maintaining peace and stability.
He also emphasized that the Arbitral Award was a test case for all countries as the extent to which the international community supports it and seeks to enforce the ruling would have serious consequences for the utility of international law.
In a separate statement, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the Arbitral Award further beefed up the Philippines’ rights to its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and resources found there.
The defense sector is “taking this award to heart” in defending the country’s interest, especially troops stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre which serves Manila’s outpost at the Ayungin Shoal, Teodoro said.
“This is not a joke. We do our best everday to protect our territory and sovereign rights so that the Republic of the Philippines and no other country would benefit from the natural resources as stipulated by international law, a law recognized by many countries, unlike the narrative of certain nations which is only believed by them,” he stressed.
Teodoro also called on Filipinos to stand united in defending the country’s rights and sovereignty supported by the Arbitral Award. On July 12, 2016, the Arbitral Tribunal constituted under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention dismissed China’s expansive claims under its so-called nine-dash-line as baseless and illegal but China continues to reject the ruling.