The Philippines today marks the tenth anniversary of the 2016 arbitral award issued in The Hague that invalidated China’s claims in the South China Sea.
At an event hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Solicitor General Darlene Berberabe said the award endures because the Republic decided in its constitution, laws and institutions to live by it.
She cited the Philippine Maritime Zones Act and Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act both enacted in 2024 as well as Executive Order 111 naming the West Philippine Sea and 131 features in the Kalayaan Island Group last March.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. stated that the country will resist any attempt to deny its rights and entitlements in the West Philippine Sea for present and future generations of Filipinos.