MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will continue to adhere to the 2016 Hague ruling even if Chinese authorities are harassing and doing “dangerous maneuvers” in disputed waters.
This was after he met the Permanent Court of Arbitration Secretary General Martin Czepelac who is currently on a state visit from August 26 to 30 and paid a courtesy call in Malacanang Thursday.
“The Permanent Court of Arbitration is an important part of our foreign policy considering all the challenges that we are facing right now. And our continuing adherence to international law,” President Marcos said.
The visit came in the wake of heightened tension between Manila and Beijing over the West Philippine Sea after China rammed local-flagged vessels and barred Philippine authorities from resupplying sailors stationed in the disputed waters.
“The Court of Arbitration is [important]… that is an argument that we make and have made in several instances. It’s very [gratifying] [you have visited] Manila,” he said.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 affirmed that the Philippines has the entire rights in the West Philippine Sea and that China’s assertions have no legal basis but China continues to dominate the disputed maritime area and tag Filipino sailors patrolling in the area as illegal intruders.
The meeting did not disclose any issues related to the West Philippine Sea but Czepelak said, according to Malacanang, the international body is “interested in exploring the potential for establishing a Host Country Agreement (HCA) with the Philippines to facilitate PCA hearings within the nation.”
