Arbitral Award not a piece of paper’ – Malacañang

MANILA, Philippines —  Malacañang yesterday maintained that the 2016 Arbitral Award is not just a “piece of paper,” as it gave assurance that President Marcos would continue to protect the country’s sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea while contributing to peace and stability in the region.

“It is true that this was fought for under PNoy (former president Noynoy Aquino), but during the time of former president Rodrigo Duterte, the Arbitral Award or ruling was considered a simple piece of paper that can be thrown in the trash bin,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said at a press briefing.

Castro made the statement when asked about the view of Paul Reichler, the Philippines’ lead counsel in the South China Sea arbitration case, that a decade was lost since the Duterte administration abandoned efforts to build international support to back the 2016 Arbitral Award, making it harder for succeeding administrations to advance the country’s maritime claims.

Meanwhile, adding to the list of the country’s supporters over its assertion of sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea, the European Union (EU) called for “full implementation” of the arbitral ruling as a landmark decision in the peaceful settlement of disputes.

In a statement, the EU reiterated its position that the 2016 Arbitral Award, adopted by the independent arbitral tribunal in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is “final and legally binding” upon the parties to the proceedings. –  Pia Lee-Brago, Neil Jayson Servallos