West Philippine Sea: DFA eyes UNGA resolution to address China aggression

HARASSMENT IN WPS A China Coast Guard vessel trains its water cannon on BRP Datu Sanday, which is on its way to Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. The latest confrontation between Manila and Beijing happened on Aug. 25, leaving the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources boat damaged. —NESTOR CORRALES

MANILA, Philippines — Amid China’s continued aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) plans to file a resolution before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to address the ongoing tensions between the two countries.

This was disclosed by Nueva Ecija 2nd District Rep. Joseph Gilbert Violago during Wednesday’s plenary deliberations on the 2025 General Appropriations Bill. Violago was defending the DFA’s proposed P27.392 billion budget for next year.

“Ang DFA ay may plano po talagang mag file ng resolution with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Philippines territorial claim in the WPS,” Viologo said when asked by OFW party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino about this recommendation.

READ: DFA urged to file resolution before UN on West Philippine Sea dispute

(The DFA really plans to file a resolution with the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the Philippines’ territorial claim in the WPS.)

“The recommendation to file a particular resolution with the United Nations General Assembly would have to be subject to necessity and prudence. The Department appreciates the recommendation and continues to study its implication,” he added.

However, Viologo pointed out that the DFA maintains its view that “the UNGA is the venue for decisions on human development issues that concern the conditions faced by humanity as a whole.”

READ: Marcos to skip UNGA in NYC, limits foreign trips for rest of 2024

He added that the international body “is not the venue for political debates.”

Earlier this year,  ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo urged the agency to sponsor a resolution before the UNGA that would eventually allow the international body to intervene in the WPS dispute.

Tulfo filed House Resolution No. 1766 on June 10, calling on the government, through the DFA, to sponsor a resolution calling on China to stop its intrusive activities in the WPS and abide by international rules, including a July 2016 Arbitral Award.

China’s continued aggression in the region is based on its assertion of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including most of the West Philippine Sea. It continues to reject the July 2016 Arbitral Award, which effectively dismissed its claims and ruled in favor of Manila.

The landmark ruling stemmed from a case filed by Manila in 2013, a year after its tense standoff with Beijing over Panatag Shoal, whose lagoon the latter now effectively controls.