The Department of National Defense marked the 10th anniversary of the 2016 arbitral ruling yesterday, reaffirming its commitment to the legal victory on maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea.
The Department of National Defense held an event attended by its officials, employees and bureaus. It highlighted the collaborative efforts of Filipinos in defending sovereign rights through the rule of law.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. condemned the Chinese Embassy’s rejection of the ruling. He described it as an act of insincerity and duplicity.
The Arbitral Award, issued on July 12, 2016, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, ruled that China’s nine-dash line has no legal basis.
