The Philippine government is considering filing a new arbitration case against China due to its illegal activities in the West Philippine Sea.
“In respect to the progress, it is still under study. Everything is still under study,” Department of Justice Senior State Counsel Atty. Fretti Ganchoon told reporters during a press briefing of the National Maritime Council (NMC) in Manila.
“On the part of the Philippines, the decision is not just a DOJ decision; it is an inter-agency decision. We have to wait and respect the decision-making process of the executive branch. It’s not just the decision of one department,” she added.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has said the Philippines is in the process of deciding on an international case against China for alleged damage to the marine environment in the West Philippine Sea.
Undersecretary Alexander Lopez, NMC spokesperson, said the government wants to make sure that the second international case against Beijing will be “foolproof.”
He explained that the government does not want to file a case until it has gathered all the information it needs.
When we have all that and the case is already foolproof, then we will file,” Lopez said.
“We will handle that through the DOJ and it will be coursed through the NMC for further vetting or considerations. That is how the process works,” he added.
In 2012, Manila initiated an arbitration process to protest Beijing’s claims in almost the entire South China Sea.
Four years later, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated China’s dash-line claims. However, Beijing continues to ignore the decision.