The rock of contention was the Philippine legal team’s “biggest worry.” But in the end, the status of Itu Aba, the largest feature in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, turned out to be one of the Philippines’ most significant scores in its challenge to China’s claim to almost all of the South China Sea in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. For two solicitors general who led the team in the Philippines’ biggest international legal battle, the classification of Itu Aba as a rock, not an island, has been the greatest relief.

Quismundo, T. (2016, July 18). Itu Aba: PH biggest worry is biggest win. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A20.