PH officials lead National Peace Walk to reaffirm 2016 South China Sea arbitral award

Philippine government officials spearheaded the National Peace Walk on Sunday morning to reaffirm the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration invalidating China's claims in the South China Sea. The walk, held at Quirino Grandstand in Manila, was led by Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Romeo Brawner Jr., and Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, according to a report by GMA News' Bea Pinlac. The rain did not deter the participants of the National Peace Walk, according to a report by Rhommel Balasbas on Super Radyo dzBB. Participants coming from government agencies, uniformed agencies, civil society groups, and the public waved small Philippine flags as they joined the activity. In his message, Teodoro said the activity serves to encourage everyone to push for freedom of navigation in the disputed seas. "Ito pong lakad na ito ay nagsisilbing lakas-loob upang tulong-tulong tayong makapaglayag ulit... Whole-of government approach ito dahil kailangan pagtibayin natin ang ating mga kaalaman at kapabilidad para magamit natin ng tama ang karagatan na regalo ng Panginoon po sa atin," Teodoro said. (This walk serves as our action to call for freedom of navigation... This is a whole-of government approach because we need to strengthen our knowledge and capability to wisely use the sea which God gave us.) "Itong peace walk, hindi lamang po sa karagatan, hindi lamang katahimikan ngunit lakad sa pagkakaisa. Hindi lang po ngayon, kung hindi, sa ating kinabukasan," he added. (This peace walk is not just for the sea, not just for peace, but also for unity, not just now but for the future.) On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a decision that invalidated Beijing’s massive claims in South China Sea. "The Tribunal concluded that there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash line’," the Permanent Court of Arbitration said in a news release. "[Although] two Chinese navigators and fishermen, as well as those of other States, had historically made use of the islands in the South China Sea, there was no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or their resources," it added. The 501-page ruling was handed down in The Hague, Netherlands, more than three years after the case was filed by the Philippines in January 2013. The case hinges on the legal status of reefs, rocks and artificial islands in the Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Island group. China however has refused to recognize the ruling. 'China is losing the narrative' Speaking to reporters after the National Peace Walk, Tarriela said China has been active in social media denouncing the arbitral award because they are losing the narrative. "Kung makikita natin no, as we get near itong July 12, parang lahat na lang yata ng state-sponsored ng Chinese government na mga social media platforms, wala silang ginawa kundi batikusin ang 2016 arbitral award, sabihin na wala tayong basehan, wala itong basehan, hindi dapat ina-uphold and it's not binding," Tarriela said. (If we notice, as we got nearer to July 12, it seems that in all the Chinese government state-sponsored social media platforms, they had nothing else to do but bash the 2016 arbitral award and say we had no basis, it had no basis, the ruling should not have been upheld and it's not binding.) "But regardless of the noise of the Chinese government, of the Chinese Embassy, regardless of the pro-China posts na ginagawa nila, para sa akin, ang ebidensiya natin ay 'yung recent lang na statement ng more than 13 countries na inilabas ng Department of Foreign Affairs na nagsasabing ang 2016 arbitral award is final and binding," he added. (But regardless of the noise of the Chinese government, of the Chinese Embassy, regardless of the pro-China posts that they did, for me, the evidence is in the recent statement signed by more than 13 countries and issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs saying the 2016 arbitral award is final and binding.) Tarriela was referring to the joint statement issued by the Philippines and 13 other countries on Sunday reiterating that there is no legal basis for China's claims in the South China Sea. The statement was issued on the 10th anniversary of the ruling issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration. "We reaffirm the Arbitral Tribunal’s decision that there is no legal basis for China’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea, including those based on 'historic rights,'" read the joint statement issued by the governments of the Republic of the Philippines, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia, United Kingdom, and the United States of America, as shared by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The nations also reaffirmed their position that maritime disputes should be resolved peacefully in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). —KG, GMA News