‘Silence not neutrality’: Marking 9th year of PH’s arbitral win

MANILA, Philippines — “Staying silent in the face of China’s aggression is not neutrality, but neglect of duty.”

This is how Stratbase Institute President Dindo Manhit has this to say on Monday as the country is set to celebrate the 9th year of the arbitral award win.

In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that the Philippines has exclusive sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea (in the South China Sea) and that China’s “nine-dash line” is invalid.

READ: China hit for trying to block West Philippine Sea documentary

To mark this historic win, the think tank will organize a major international conference on Friday, July 11.

Branded as the “most prominent” West Philippine Sea conference, the forum will be graced by prominent fellows, envoys, military officials, namely:

• H.E. HK Yu PSM, Ambassador, Australian Embassy in the Philippines
• H.E. MaryKay L. Carlson, Ambassador, Embassy of the United States of America in the Philippines
• H.E. David Hartman, Ambassador, Embassy of Canada in the Philippines
• H.E. Massimo Santoro, Ambassador, Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines
• H.E. Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke, Ambassador, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Manila
• H.E. Endo Kazuya, Ambassador, Embassy of Japan in the Philippines
• Prof. Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit, President, Stratbase Institute
• Col. Francel Margareth Taborlupa, Spokesperson, Armed Forces of the Philippines
• RADM Roy Vincent Trinidad, Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea and Inspector General, Philippine Navy
• CG COMMO Jay Tarriela, Spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Philippine Coast Guard
• MGen. Fabian Pedregosa, Commander, Air Defense Command, Philippine Air Force
• Col. Raymond Powell, US Air Force (Ret), Non-Resident Fellow, Stratbase Institute; Director, Project Sealight
• RADM Rommel Jude Ong (Ret), Non-Resident Fellow, Stratbase Institute , Professor of Praxis, Ateneo School of Government
• Dr. Renato de Castro, Trustee, Program Convenor, and Non-Resident Fellow, Stratbase Institute; Professor, International Studies
• Department, De La Salle University-Manila

It was the late President Benigno S. Aquino who brought China before an international tribunal in 2013, a year after Manila’s tense standoff with Beijing over Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, which China now has effective control of.

Beijing has continuously made aggressive actions against the Filipino coast guard, navy, and fisherfolk in asserting its sovereignty claim in almost the entire South China Sea.

The historic arbitral tribunal ruling in 2016 effectively dismissed Beijing’s overlapping claims while ruling heavily in favor of Manila’s sovereign rights in the western section of its exclusive economic zone.

“This is not simply a legal commemoration,” Manhit said. “This is a reaffirmation of our sovereign rights and our commitment to the rule of law.” —Lau Bacia, INQUIRER.net trainee