Arbitral proceedings on Philippines-China sea row start

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Tuesday that the arbitral proceedings on the territorial dispute between the Philippines and China have formally begun at The Hague, Netherlands.

The DFA said in a statement that the Arbitral Tribunal held its first meeting at the European capital last July 11. The tribunal heard the country's case against China over its claims on coastal areas in the South China Sea.

"The arbitral proceedings are now officially under way," the statement said.

The DFA said that The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, an intergovernmental organization, has been appointed as Registry for the proceedings.

"The Department and the Office of Solicitor General have pledged their fullest cooperation with the Tribunal, in order to assure a fair, impartial and efficient process that produces a final and binding judgment in conformity with international law.," the statement said.

The main agenda for the first meeting was the approval of a set of rules to govern the proceedings. The two countries have been asked to send comments on the rules by August.

DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said that the agency along with Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza's office is now examining the Rules of Procedure that will be forwarded to the tribunal.

The country's case is based mainly on the arbitration clauses or Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS--a move which Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario calls a "rules-based" resolution on the conflict. (Related story: Del Rosario at EU: 'Peaceful' efforts to end sea row 'unsuccessful')