Filipino bishops called on the nation Monday to storm the heavens with prayers for the protection of the Philippines and a peaceful resolution of the country’s territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) ordered an Oratio Imperata as lawyers for the Philippines answered questions from judges on a United Nations arbitral court in The Hague on a suit brought by the Philippines to resolve the dispute according to international law. The Philippines is challenging China’s claim to islands and reefs in the West Philippine Sea, part of the South China Sea within Manila’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ) recognized under the Unclos.

Uy, J. R., Avendaño, C. O., & Esplanada, J. E. (2015, July 14). CBCP seeks divine help to protect PH in sea row. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A4.