Independent think tank Stratbase ADR Institute will hold a major forum on the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) and the need for a rules-based international system to resolve the regional conflict over the area.
Stratbase ADRi president Victor Adres “Dindo” Manhit said the forum titled “The South China Sea Arbitration Award 12 July 2016: Promoting a Rules-Based International System?” will be held on July 12, 2018, from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City.
“Two years have passed since the Philippines scored a decisive victory against its northern neighbor. Yet, while the ruling should have transformed the strategic milieu in terms of maritime security and should have reshaped the state actors’ strategies and actions, there remains uncertainty on the future of maritime commons,” Manhit said.
“Claimant and non-claimant states alike should work hand-in-hand in promoting peace and security within the bounds of established international law,” he said.
The forum will be divided into three sessions. First session will focus on the observance of a rules-based order in the South China Sea, while the second session will focus on the opportunities and challenges of a rules-based international system in the maritime commons.
The third session involves the presentation of the Pulse Asia Survey results which could provide basis for policy makers to revisit the country’s foreign policy that is reflective of the Filipino people’s sentiment.
Manhit said the government’s top officials and diplomats as well as policy and academic experts were invited to shed light on the important issue involving the country’s territorial waters.
Invited key speakers include Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, acting Supreme Court Chief Justice Antonio Carpio and Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano.
Also invited to provide key insights are Dr. Jay Batongbacal, Director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea; journalist Marites Vitug, the author of the book “Rock Solid: How the Philippines Won its Maritime Case vs China”; Prof. Brahma Chellaney of Strategic Studies Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi; Prof. Makoto Seta of Yokohama City University; Prof. Go Ito of Meiji University; and Natalie Sambhi of Australian National University.
Gregory Poling, Director of Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies will provide a video presentation.
Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, who is the chairman of Stratbase ADRi, will deliver the opening remarks, while Manhit will sum up the discussion and deliver the closing remarks.