Malacañang said Saturday President Rodrigo Duterte would deal with the arbitral award on the disputed West Philippine Sea or South China Sea, as the President clarified he did not abandon the tribunal’s ruling in favor of the Philippines’ protest against China’s nine-dash line that covers nearly the whole of the disputed region.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte made the clarification with Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc who brought up the issue during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 32nd Asean Leaders’ Meeting in Singapore.
“It [WPS] was definitely discussed. And I guess the President just wanted to make very clear that we are not abandoning, ignoring or setting aside the arbitral’s ruling which is in our favor,” Roque said.
Duterte further gave assurance that he would address the issue involving the UN-backed ruling on the WPS in due course, the Palace spokesperson said.
Roque admitted it was the first time that he personally heard the President’s position favoring discussion of the arbitral ruling on the WPS, in contrast to his previous pronouncements.
Roque said: “Although that has been his position even in the past—that he is not abandoning it, he is not relinquishing it. But he made it very clear, to a head of state that he recognizes that the gains of the arbitral award and that he will refer to the arbitral award in due course.
“Because he wants the totality of the West Philippine Sea controversy settled under the rule of law, and pursuant to the binding norms of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”
The Palace official said it was Vietnamese Prime Minister that brought up the issue on the WPS or SCS, because he was appealing for support on the joint filing of Malaysia and Vietnam for an extended continental shelf.
“Of course our submission has been acted upon and that is why the Philippine Deep belongs to us, was awarded to us by the extended continental shelf,” Roque said.
Roque believed the Prime Minister of Vietnam was lobbying for other countries to support that submission, adding “because that would have substantial ramification. Although of course China is opposing it, and in the process of opposing it, that was the first time they mentioned the 9-Dash Lines.”
Roque said: “The reply of President Duterte was: ‘Yes there are two things that we are talking about here, the West Philippine Sea and the Maritime territory, and the extended continental shelf and…’ that’s the context by which he mentioned that the arbitral award he will refer to in due course.
“But that’s binding only in the Philippines and China and he will study the option of how the Philippines can be involve in the ongoing joint claim for an extended continental shelf between Vietnam and Malaysia.”
Duterte stands firm to discuss the issue of the Code of Conduct for the WPS with China and would also ask the support of the Asean members.
Roque said the Vietnamese government commended Duterte for the way he handled the country’s territorial dispute with China.
“The Code of Conduct for the West Philippine Sea is important, and this is the issue were where all Asean members would have to voice out with China,” Roque said.
“So I hope the President’s critics will stop saying that he has
abandoned, reneged, and ignored the arbitral ruling. He considers it a binding decision in favor of the Philippines,” he added.