Akbayan urges government to bring West Philippine Sea issue to UN
MANILA, Philippines — Groups led by Akabyan on Sunday called on the government to file a resolution at the United Nations to recognize the Philippines’ historic win at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 against China’s sweeping nine-dash line claims over a large part of the South China Sea.
Ahead of Independence Day commemorations on Monday, Akbayan Party, Akbayan Youth, and the West Philippine Sea Coalition held a protest at the Boy Scout Circle in Quezon City to urge the administration to stand up to Beijing in another international body — the UN General Assembly.
"If China's actions over the past years have shown us anything, it is that they are the new colonizers of our time,” Akbayan Party president Rafaela David said.
“Their aggression is a threat to peaceful and harmonious relationships in the region, and they are a continuing threat to the safety of our fisherfolk.”
The protest comes after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. assured Chinese officials at the ceremony for the Award for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding last Friday that Philippine policy towards China "hasn't changed in any fundamental sense."
He said "some people have said that the Philippines has shifted its policy away from the People's Republic and to other powers, that is simply not true." He said the Philippines is in "a continuing search to find solutions to the challenges that we face jointly with China."
Both the Philippines and Beijing are member states of the 193-member UN. The UNGA provides an avenue for discussion among member states and while resolutions are non-binding, the body still “plays a central role in the process of standard-setting and the codification of international law.”
Akbayan held a protest in Quezon City earlier today to call on government to bring the West Philippine Sea issue to the UN General Assembly to "galvanize international support" for the 2016 ruling in the arbitration case vs China
— Jonathan de Santos (@desamting) June 11, 2023
????: Akbayan, handout pic.twitter.com/iQm79wjObh
The 2016 Hague ruling provided that China’s claims in the South China Sea include parts of the West Philippine Sea. Beijing continues to say that the ruling is “illegal, null, and void” and claims that it violates the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
But the PCA also ruled that China’s claim to sovereign rights jurisdiction within its so-called nine-dash line also exceeds its entitlements under UNCLOS.
RELATED: How the Hague court ruled on the Philippines’s 15 arguments
China’s aggression
China’s incursions and aggression in Philippine waters – which has harmed both the Philippine Coast Guard and Filipino fishermen – remain one of the bilateral issues of both countries. While both sides have stressed that it is not the only issue for bilateral relations, Manila has stressed that “maritime issues continue to remain a serious concern to the Filipino people.”
Akbayan Party noted that retired Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio said in a forum last week that the Philippines can further solidify its 2016 win at the Hague through the UNGA. The group also noted that a UN resolution “is a stronger way of galvanizing international support” for the Philippines’ win at the Hague.
RELATED: US backs Philippines on WPS incident; Australia calls for peace, stability | Canada, United Kingdom express concern over West Philippine Sea incident
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in September last year spoke at the 77th UNGA and without mentioning China, noted that there is a “profound lack of trust” among states that strain the UN’s multilateral system.
“In Asia, our hard-won peace and stability is under threat by increasing and ideological tensions,” Marcos Jr. said.
Manila has stressed that maritime issues should “be addressed through diplomacy and dialogue and never through coercion and intimidation.”
As of end-April this year, the Philippines has filed 87 notes verbale against China’s actions since Marcos Jr.’s term began.
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