The Philippines will assert the 2016 arbitral ruling to back its territorial claim in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) at the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Cambodia next week. Manalo said the ruling was beyond the reach of denial and rebuttal. Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo will press the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the arbitral award at the conference, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said. The UNCLOS and the arbitral ruling at The Hague will “serve as the twin anchors of our actions and policies on the South China Sea,” Espiritu said.

Phl pressing WPS claim at ASEAN. (2022, July 29). Daily Tribune, p. A2.