The Philippines on Saturday marked the ninth anniversary of its landmark legal victory over China in the South China Sea, vowing to continue asserting its maritime rights through peaceful and lawful means.
In separate statements, the National Maritime Council (NMC), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reaffirmed the country’s commitment to upholding the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), which invalidated China’s sweeping claims over nearly the entire South China Sea.
“The award is binding, final, and cannot be erased or diminished, and is beyond the reproach of politics,” the NMC said, calling the ruling an “undeniable part of the body of international law.”
As the country continues to face illegal and coercive actions in its waters, the NMC said the Philippines will assert its maritime rights “with clarity and resolve through a sustained presence, strategic communication, the promotion of international law, capability-building, and stronger partnerships with like-minded nations.”
The DFA echoed the same commitment, calling the ruling “a cornerstone of Philippine maritime policy and the country’s unflinching advocacy for a rules-based order governed by international law.”
“The Filipino nation will always look to the enduring guidance of the 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea in asserting its rights and entitlements in its maritime domain,” the DFA said.
The department nAoted that the ruling has become part of international jurisprudence, having been cited in decisions by the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea and the International Court of Justice. It described the award as an “illuminating precedent” for other nations facing similar maritime challenges.
For his part, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. reaffirmed the military’s resolve to defend the West Philippine Sea.
“Nine years ago today, the world listened and sided with the truth. On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration upheld the Philippines’ sovereign rights in the WPS,” Brawner said.
“This is more than a legal ruling but a recognition of what every Filipino has long held in their heart – that these waters, resources, and legacy – are rightfully ours.”
The PCA ruling, issued on July 12, 2016, declared China’s so-called “nine-dash line” — now expanded into a 10-dash line — as illegal under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This demarcation covers a vast portion of the South China Sea, including areas within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
Despite the ruling, China has continued to ignore the decision and assert its expansive claims.
