Philippines says South China Sea ruling ‘non-negotiable’

MANILA, Philippines — On the fourth anniversary of the South China Sea ruling, the Philippines yesterday stressed that the unanimous award in favor of Manila is “non-negotiable” and that there is no possibility of “compromise or change.”

This was declared by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., who was referring to The Hague-based International Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling on July 12, 2016 favoring the Philippines’ claim over parts of the South China Sea.

Locsin said certain actions of China within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone “violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights and were thus unlawful.”

“Compliance in good faith with the award would be consistent with the obligations of the Philippines and China under international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to which both parties are signatories,” he added.

“The Philippines, as a law-abiding, peace-loving and responsible member of the international community, reaffirms on this occasion its adherence to the award and its enforcement without any possibility of compromise or change. The award is non-negotiable,” he said.

He added that the large-scale reclamation and construction of artificial islands by China caused severe environmental harm in violation of international conventions, while the large-scale harvesting of endangered marine species damaged the marine ecosystem and that “actions taken since the commencement of the arbitration had aggravated the disputes.”

The arbitration case, initiated and overwhelmingly won by the Philippines against China, “is a contribution of great significance and consequence to the peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea and to the peace and stability of the region at large,” he said.

Former foreign affairs secretary Albert del Rosario, who led the Philippines’ winning arbitration case against China, and former ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales filed in March 2019 before the International Criminal Court (ICC) a complaint against Chinese President Xi Jinping over China’s environmentally destructive activities in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), particularly its building of artificial islands.

They said the “atrocious” actions in the South China Sea and in Philippine waters, constitute a crime against humanity.

Meanwhile, fishermen’s group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) slammed the Duterte administration for supposedly allowing China to continue its “escalated territorial aggression” four years after the Philippines won its case before the international arbitral tribunal.