“This battle to defend our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) from China, the superpower in our region, is the 21st century equivalent of the battles that our forebears waged against Western and Eastern colonizers from the 16th to the 20th century... In this modern-day battle, the best and the brightest legal warriors in our country today must stand up to fight to free... the Philippines from foreign encroachment... we must rely on the most powerful weapon invented by man in the settlement of disputes among states -- a weapon that can immobilize armies, neutralize aircraft carriers render irrelevant nuclear bombs and level the battlefield between small nations and superpowers. That weapon -- the great equalizer -- is the rule of law. Under the Rule of Law, right prevails over might.”

The rule of law in the South China Sea dispute. (2017, May 8). Business World, p. S1/8.