Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez has urged members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other countries to support the Philippines’ stand on issues involving the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
He made the appeal in remarks on Friday in Makati City before the Trilateral Commission, a nongovernment organization that brings together regional and world leaders to discuss pressing concerns.
“In the South China Sea, the Philippines faces complex challenges to its sovereignty, yet our commitment to a peaceful, lawful resolution remains resolute. We uphold the 2016 ruling as a testament to international law, a beacon that reminds us that might cannot make right, and that the world is governed not by whims, but by principles,” Romualdez said.
He was referring to the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration recognizing the country’s 200-mile exclusive economic zone under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and rejecting China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea, including areas inside the WPS.
The leader of the 307-strong Philippine House of Representatives said ASEAN plays a crucial role in promoting cooperation and a rules-based order in the region.
“It is our hope that the Indo-Pacific becomes a region where cooperation prevails over confrontation, where nations build not barriers but bridges, and where peace is the shared inheritance of all,” he said.
He said while security is important, it should go hand-in-hand with economic progress.
