“We must remain mindful of our obligations and commitment to the Charter of the United Nations and as amplified by the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes. 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. We welcome the increasing number of states that have come in support of the award and what it stands for—the triumph of reason over rashness, of law over disorder, of amity over ambition. This—as it should—is the majesty of the law.”Unwilling to admit a presidential change of mind, spokesperson Harry Roque discounted the message as nothing new. But UN delegates familiar with the issue would appreciate, as Filipinos did, that the statement was the President’s strongest affirmation of the Arbitral Award and his most categorical rejection of China’s claim to boundaries that would violate the Philippine exclusive economic zone and maritime rights in the South China Sea.

de Jesus, E. C. (2020, October 3). Consensus on the South China Sea. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A7.