MANILA, Philippines — On the fifth anniversary of the Philippines' historic arbitral win over China, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (Cagayan de Oro City) on Monday disclosed he filed a resolution urging Congress to declare July 12 of every year as National West Philippine Sea Victory Day to commemorate the victory.
He was referring to the country's victory before the UN-backed the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague which unanimously ruled in favor of the Philippines and rejected China's sweeping claims over virtually the entire West Philippine Sea area within its so-called nine-dash line.
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Rodriguez, who also serves as House Deputy Speaker, said he filed House Resolution No. 1975 on July 7 to underscore the Philippines' ownership of its 200-mile exclusive economic zone which includes the Kalayaan Islands, the Spratly Islands and Panatag Shoal.
“The WPS is exceptionally biodiverse, and contains numerous species of fish, echinoderms, mangroves, seagrasses, giant clams, and marine turtles, including those considered vulnerable or endangered, and vast coral reefs,” he said, highlighting the importance of keeping the win "alive in the hearts of our people, despite others believing that it is a hollow victory."
The House solon pointed out that Filipino fishermen have long been fishing in the West Philippine Sea, adding that the territory reportedly contains trillions in cubic feet of natural gas and 5.4 billion barrels of oil, which he said could address the energy requirements of the country and lessen its dependence on crude oil imports.
“Because of the rich natural resources in the West Philippine Sea, China has made untenable claims of indisputable sovereignty over the entire South China Sea based on its so-called ‘nine-dash line’ that encroaches on 80 percent of the Philippines' EEZ in the WPS,” he said.
Rep. Manuel Cabochan (Magdalo Party-list), meanwhile called on the Duterte administration to invoke the historic arbitral ruling.
Cabochan pointed out that China has been more aggressive since 2016 knowing that Duterte "would not even buck."
“It is not merely a paper victory. It is a legal affirmation of what is ours and that China’s claims are baseless. For the President to dismiss that the arbitration ruling is just a piece of a paper implies that he does not know or understand how a landmark decision could be harnessed to pursue our national interests,” Cabochan said.
Earlier Monday, Vice President Leni Robredo also lamented what she said was the "five years of missed opportunities" for the Philippine government to assert its claim over the territory.
Former foreign affairs chief Albert Del Rosario also pointed to President Rodrigo Duterte's "failure of leadership" in managing the West Philippine Sea tensions over the past five years of his presidency, going as far as questioning the chief executive's loyalty to the country.
President Rodrigo Duterte has asserted that he cannot do anything on the maritime dispute as doing so, he incorrectly claimed, would mean going to war with the regional giant.
“Despite the clear victory of the Philippines, China has refused to acknowledge the ruling and has continued to harass Filipino fishermen and to illegally construct structures on the different islands in the WPS,” the House leader said.
“It is in this context that we should celebrate our David against Goliath triumph on July 12 of every year, but we should insist every minute that China should recognize, respect, and abide by the ruling,” he said.
— with a report from Xave Gregorio