Philippines to China: Arbitral Award final and binding

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines rejected yesterday the assertions of the Chinese embassy in Manila in its recent statement against the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award, underscoring that the award is final and binding.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said: “The Award was rendered by an arbitral tribunal constituted in accordance with Annex VII of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), a treaty to which both the Philippines and China are States Parties.”

“The award is final and binding and has become an unassailable part of the corpus of international law, providing legal clarity regarding maritime rights and entitlements in the South China Sea. It is not and will never be illegal, null and void,” the DFA said.

In its Award on Jurisdiction and Admissibility, the Arbitral Tribunal rejected China’s objection that the disputes involve territorial sovereignty in the South China Sea and therefore beyond the tribunal’s jurisdiction. The Tribunal also rejected the argument set out in China’s position paper that the parties’ disputes concern maritime boundary delimitation and are excluded from the tribunal’s jurisdiction.

“There should be no confusion that the 2016 Arbitral Award is focused on issues concerning the interpretation and application of UNCLOS, including the legal status of maritime features, maritime entitlements under the Convention and the compatibility of certain maritime claims with international law,” the DFA said.

The DFA also rejected the contention that the initiation of arbitration violated any obligation to settle disputes exclusively through bilateral negotiations. The tribunal rejected China’s position that the parties had agreed to resolve disputes relating to the South China Sea exclusively through negotiations.

Tarriela slams Cayetano

Meanwhile, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela expressed relief on Monday over Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano’s exit as Senate president, citing the senator’s stances on the WPS.

“He faults our government for refusing to sign an unconstitutional joint oil exploration deal with the People’s Republic of China, then calls that the reason our exploration is stalled,” Tarriela said in a post on X.

The tweet was a reply to Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s comment about the recent Senate leadership.

Gatchalian was among the senators who visited Pag-asa Island and vowed to provide more allocation to key projects in the island. — Andrew Ronquillo, Michael Punongbayan