City officials recently expressed their all-out support for the Philippine government to stand up for the country’s sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea.
In a resolution, city legislators stated that the Philippines has already secured a huge victory when the Permanent Court of Arbitration established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) ruled in favor of the country’s claim and deemed China’s assertions, including its nine-dash line, as unlawful.
Further, the Philippines did not simply bring China to court but even before filing the celebrated case, the government had already wisely chosen to settle the dispute with an arbitral tribunal under Annex VII of the UNCLOS with a registry at the Permanent Court of Arbitration rather than with the other international courts listed by the convention.
The council added that the Philippine government also called on China to comply with its obligations under international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, the 2016 award in the South China Sea arbitration, and the 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea while also adhering to its commitment under the 2002 Association of Southeast Asian Nations–China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.
“It is in this light that the local government expresses its support for the Philippines to stand up for our sovereignty and sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea,” the resolution stated.
Earlier, the local legislative body in Resolution No.2023-4794 of the provincial board of Nueva Vizcaya urged all local legislative bodies to express collective support for the Philippine government’s efforts in protecting the West Philippine Sea.
The city council claimed that the Philippines is an archipelagic country with water covering more than 80 percent of its territory. It shares sea borders in the west and south where there are alleged overlapping maritime claims.
The body underscored that the West Philippine Sea is the official designation by the Philippine government to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country’s exclusive economic zone.
Moreover, the West Philippine Sea refers to the part of the South China Sea that is closest, and of vital interest to the Philippines.
On September 5, 2023, former President Benigno Aquino III issued Administrative Order No. 29 with Section 1 stating that the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago are named as the West Philippine Sea. It includes the Luzon Sea, as well as the waters around, within and adjacent the Kalayaan island group and Bajo de Masinloc also known as Scarborough Shoal. By Dexter A. See