Pinoys urged to continue defending Arbitral Award

MANILA, Philippines — Ten years after the Philippines won its case against China’s expansive maritime claims over almost the entire South China Sea (SCS), Filipinos are being urged to continue defending the 2016 Arbitral Award against the lies and disinformation that seek to diminish its value.

National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) spokesman Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) describes the historic ruling as “the Philippines’ greatest legal and diplomatic achievement in our human history.”

Speaking at the ongoing National West Philippine Sea Summit at the Conrad Manila in Pasay City yesterday, he stressed that a decade after the Arbitral Award was handed down, its meaning is not in doubt.

“It is final, it is binding and it remains the clearest affirmation of our rules-based maritime order under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” he said.

“But an award does not defend itself. It has to be explained, defended and applied and not only in diplomatic notes and policy briefs. It has to live in our classrooms, in our newsrooms, in our coastal communities and in the national conversation,” he stressed.

Tarriela said this is precisely the reason why the NTF-WPS and the We Protect Our Seas Foundation of director Jeffrey Ordaniel designed a summit that brings together various experts from various nations to pair UNCLOS capacity building with policy dialogue.

“The law gives us our foundation. The dialogue turns that foundation into public understanding, a sound national security strategy and the principled foreign policy, because effective policy begins with a clear grasp of the law,” he explained.

Tarriela, who has recently been engaged in an online war with the Chinese embassy in Manila, noted how the embassy is taking different steps to spread misinformation, including posting or speaking in Filipino to allow Filipinos to understand their lies.

“For years, we have watched a persistent effort to distort what UNCLOS says, to diminish the 2016 Arbitral Award and to lend legitimacy to claims that have no basis whatsoever in international law,” he added.

“Disinformation erodes public confidence, muddles our national debate and clears the ground for malign influence to take root. So, the most effective way to keep the Arbitral Award alive is to keep the Filipino people informed,” he emphasized.

Tarriela said a public that understands what UNCLOS says and what the 2016 Arbitral Award is about and why the position of the Philippines is legally sound “is a public that is harder to mislead, harder to divide and better prepared to resist malign influence.”

10 provinces to protect WPS

The Marcos administration is strengthening local government units (LGUs) in safeguarding the country’s maritime interests in the West Philippine Sea.

Through Bayanihang Aksiyon para sa Kanlurang Dagat ng Pilipinas, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said yesterday it is working with 10 provinces fronting the WPS to institutionalize localized governance mechanisms that advance marine environmental protection, sustainable fisheries, food security, resilient livelihoods and responsible stewardship of the country’s maritime resources.

The DILG named the provinces as Palawan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, Occidental Mindoro, Bataan, Batangas and Batanes.

The DILG said it is pushing for provinces to transform national priorities into action plans such as strengthening the capacity of LGUs in leading efforts that protect coastal communities, conserve marine ecosystems and support the country’s long-term maritime interests.

Provincial caravans have engaged with the provinces, which brought local chief executives, sanggunian members, government agencies, civil society groups, fisherfolk and other sectors in the action plans’ implementation.

These mechanisms ensure that efforts to protect are not only sustained but also responsive to local mechanisms, the DILG said.

“Protecting the West Philippine Sea begins long before our shores. It begins in every province that chooses to lead, every local government that chooses to act and every community that understands what is at stake,” the DILG said in a statement.

The DILG is working with other government agencies and the private sector to strengthen local institutions and expand multi-sectoral partnerships.

“By strengthening our LGUs, we are strengthening the country’s capacity to protect our marine resources, secure the livelihoods of our fisherfolk, preserve our rich marine biodiversity and uphold our sovereign rights for generations to come,” it said.

To ensure the sustainability of the program, several LGUs have already passed permanent legislative measures. The provinces of Palawan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Bataan have enacted local ordinances establishing their respective West Philippine Sea Councils.

Meanwhile, Zambales has adopted a supportive resolution and Occidental Mindoro has formed its council via an executive order.

The DILG is collaborating with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Institute of Environmental Governance and environmental advocacy group Tanggol Kalikasan in the bayanihan caravan. – Emmanuel Tupas, Rainier Allan Ronda