Philippines to present 'final approach' to sea row before ASEAN

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is set to introduce its "immediate, intermediate and final" approaches to the disputes over territories within the South China Sea in the next round of meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement Friday that the Triple Action Plan (TAP) that it will present before the ASEAN ministerial meetings in Nay Pyi Taw this month is a "concrete frameork to address the escalating tensions" in the contested waters.

"The Philippines hopes that the Claimant States, other ASEAN countries, and the ASEAN Dialogue Partners will favorably consider this proposal as it is comprehensive, constructive and brings together various initiatives that the Philippines and other countries have been advocating on the issue of the South China Sea for the past years," the DFA said.

The immediate approach calls for a moratorium on specific activities that heighten the tension, as advised by the United States the past months.

The step also pushes a more concrete definition of paragraph five of the ASEAN-China Declaration of Conduct on the South China Sea signed in 2002. The document has been said to be a non-binding agreement that needs to be solidified through a new Code of Conduct.

The DFA's intermediate approach supports the urgent completion of the Code of Conduct in the disputed seas.

The country's final approach, meanwhile, forwards a "settlement mechanism to bring the disputes to a final and enduring resolution anchored on international law."

"The Philippines is pursuing such a resolution through Arbitration and believes that the Arbitration award will clarify the maritime entitlements for all parties, which will be the basis for the settlement of maritime disputes," the DFA said.

The TAP does not challenge existing territorial claims but only aims to reduce mistrust among nations and risks of "unintended" conflict.

The TAP was first informally announced by the Philippines late June 2014 as tensions in the waters off Vietnam heightened due to the emplacement of the Chinese Oil Rig HD981, which China recently pulled out.