The arbitral decision on the South China Sea row that favored the Philippines is just a piece of paper that can be thrown in the wastebasket, President Duterte said on Wednesday, insisting that he did what he could to pursue the ruling but to no avail. Duterte, accused by critics of being too soft on China’s bullying, said the previous administration filed a case against China after withdrawing Philippine ships from the West Philippine Sea in compliance with a US-brokered agreement with China. He was referring to the standoff in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, an area off Zambales that has been under China’s control since 2012.

Lee-Brago, P., Cabrera, R., & Felipe, C. S. (2021, May 7). 'Arbitral ruling a piece of paper to be thrown away'. The Philippine Star, p. 2.