Manalo says arbitral ruling ''no longer within the reach of denial and rebuttal''
Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo on Tuesday said an international tribunal's ruling that rejected China's claim over the South China Sea '' are no longer within the reach of denial and rebuttal, and are conclusive as they are indisputable.''
Manalo made the statement as the Philippines marks the sixth anniversary of the ruling on Tuesday.
'' The award is final,” Manalo said.
“We firmly reject attempts to undermine it; nay, even erase it from law, history and our collective memories,” he said.
Manalo added that the ruling and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) are “the twin anchors of the Philippines’ policy and actions on the West Philippine Sea.”
Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, who led efforts to bring the country's maritime disputes with China to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to “do what is right, protect our patrimony and help the Filipino people.”
“The six years that passed, however, have been less than ideal for our country because the Duterte administration tragically pursued a policy of appeasing China, in exchange for economic benefits that never materialized,” Del Rosario said in a statement.
“With a new administration, we are again met with renewed hope,” he said.
The decision declared China's claim over nearly the entire waters as illegal under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
China has ignored the decision.
Marcos pledged to uphold the ruling. DMS
