President Rodrigo Duterte and other government officials must enforce the Supreme Court’s writ of kalikasan order directing them to protect and rehabilitate the marine environment in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said on Saturday. Failure to heed the special order, which covers three-Philippine-claimed reefs in the disputed waters, could prompt the high court to hold the Duterte administration in contempt, according to a maritime law expert. “The recent writ of kalikasan [ordered] by the Supreme Court practically imposes an obligation on our government to enforce the July 12, 2016 arbitral ruling,” Del Rosario said, referring to the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidating China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea.

Aning, J., Chiu, P. D. M., Gascon, M., & Salaverria, L. B. (2019, May 5). Duterte admin asked to heed SC order protecting PH reefs. Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. A1, A6.