In an unprecedented move to assert the country’s position on the South China Sea, President Rodrigo Duterte raised the 2016 arbitral award that rejected Beijing’s excessive nine-dash-line claim before the United Nations General Assembly. In his taped message for the UNGA, Duterte took a swipe at China for refusing to recognize the decision of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. “The Philippines affirms that commitment in the South China Sea in accordance with UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award. The Award is now part of international law, beyond compromise and beyond the reach of passing governments to dilute, diminish or abandon. We firmly reject attempts to undermine it,” the President said.

Pañares, J. P. (2020, September 23). President asserts arbitral award rejecting China's claims in SCS. Manila Standard, pp. A1, A2.