‘Senate resolution on West Philippine Sea to be carefully assessed, calibrated’

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate resolution providing the executive department with several options to deal with China’s intrusions in the West Philippine Sea, including raising Beijing’s before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), will be “carefully assessed and calibrated,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The DFA said the Philippine government has a sustained program to promote understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) based in The Hague to gain support of foreign governments for the Philippine position.

“All future diplomatic initiatives, both in the bilateral and multilateral realm, particularly the choice of modalities, fora and timing, will be carefully assessed and calibrated to ensure that these will promote the national interest and bring optimal benefits for the country,” the DFA said in a statement.

It noted that the interest of legislators in promoting the 2016 Arbitral Award represents a national consensus on the important contribution of the ruling and the UNCLOS to the Philippines as a maritime and archipelagic nation, for which the rule of law on the oceans is a key national interest.

Senate Resolution 718 suggested actions that the executive branch can pursue to address China’s actions, which hamper Filipino’s ability to benefit from the resources of the West Philippine Sea and interfere with legitimate enforcement operations by Philippine government vessels.

An arbitral tribunal constituted under the 1982 UNCLOS firmly rejected China’s expansive South China Sea maritime claims, including any Chinese claim to the area determined by the tribunal to be part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone and continental shelf and resources.

China continues to oppose and refuse to honor the arbitral tribunal ruling. — Cecille Suerte Felipe, Emmanuel Tupas, Michelle Zoleta