By Patricia Lourdes Viray
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines cannot wait for a supposed appropriate time in asserting the ruling of a United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal over the South China Sea, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said.
"Beyond island-building and militarization, if our fishermen cannot enter Scarborough Shoal, if we cannot develop new energy resources, if the marine commons is irreparably destroyed – and if our own secretary of defense cannot fly over the West Philippine Sea without being challenged – our country must speak out and must work with our neighbors and with our friends for us to stand united in protest," Del Rosario said.
On July 12, 2016, the international arbitral tribunal ruled that China's historic nine-dash line claim over the disputed South China Sea does not have legal basis.
The Duterte administration, however, has decided to set aside the arbitral award for now and decided that the ruling will not be raised with China until an "appropriate time."
Del Rosario, who led the Philippines in filing the arbitration case against China at the international tribunal, said that the ruling should be an integral part of the Code of Conduct framework that is being finalized for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
"We cannot wait for a ‘better time’ to come—we must create that time ourselves lest that opportunity be lost forever," Del Rosario said in a speech during a South China Sea forum organized by Stratbase ADR Institute on Tuesday.
Read the full story at PhilStar