Lawyers for the Philippines, backed by a large delegation of government officials, appeared Tuesday before a panel of international judges in The Hague seeking a ruling that could bolster territorial claims by a series of countries against China in the resource-rich South China Sea. China, which claims economic and territorial rights in almost the entire Sea, has boycotted the proceedings and rejects the court's authority in the case. Paul Reichler, chief counsel of the Philippines in the arbitration case, assured the Philippine delegation that his team is fully prepared to present its case on the first day of the hearing at the Peace Palace, deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte said Monday night in Manila.

Montemayor, J., & Lopez, J. (2015, November 25). Arbitration hearing on sea dispute begins. Malaya Business Insight, pp. B1, B6.