Resolution declaring July 12 as National West Philippine Sea Victory Day filed at Senate

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday filed a resolution honoring the Philippines' victory at the 2016 landmark arbitral ruling that favored Manila's claims in the South China Sea, which also commemorates the efforts of late former President Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s administration.

Senate Resolution No. 762 seeks to declare July 12 as National West Philippine Sea Victory Day to recall the triumph of the Philippines in the ruling, which also invalidated China's massive claims in the South China Sea. 

“PNoy is the father of our 2016 victory at The Hague. If not for his unwavering commitment to put the Philippines first, we would not have been awarded a landmark legal decision in international law, which established our credibility in the global arena," Hontiveros said in a statement.

"Nang dahil sa tagumpay natin sa The Hague, buo ang loob ng international community na kumampi sa Pilipinas sa bawat pagmamalabis ng Tsina,” the minority senator added.

(Because of our success at The Hague, our international community supported the Philippines amid the encroachment of China.)

The resolution also honors how Aquino's administration defended the country's sovereignty against China, which excluded Filipino fishermen from their fishing grounds in Panatag Shoal and other areas in the West Philippine Sea.

Aside from honoring Aquino's legacy in the 2016 victory, Hontiveros said the resolution also sought to counter disinformation and misinformation on the arbitral ruling.

"Marami ang nagmamaliit sa tagumpay na ito. Marami rin ang mga fake news na nakikita natin na kesyo si PNoy daw ang dahilan kung bakit nawala sa atin ang ating mga teritoryo  (There are many people belittling this victory. A lot of fake news also proliferated, claiming it was PNoy who lost our territory.). Let’s stop all these lies once and for all through correctly remembering his leadership," Hontiveros said.

Philippines is also entitled to the resources in West Philippine Sea which contains up to  55.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 5.4 billion barrels of oil, the resolution indicated.

"The WPS is also a traditional fishing ground of Filipino fisherfolk, with an annual fish yield of 5 million tons sustaining the economies of coastal communities on the western coasts of Luzon and Palawan," the Senate resolution also stated.

To this day, China is still ignoring the 2016 arbitral decision, with hundreds of its fishing vessels encroaching on the country's territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea. 

A report from Simularity showed that  presence of foreign fishing vessels near the edge of Philippines' exclusive economic zone increased in mid-May to June. The tech firm stated that only China and Vietnam have outposts nearby the region.  

Aquino's successor, President Rodrigo Duterte dubbed the arbitral win as a piece of paper fit to be thrown in the garbage can.  

Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque, meanwhile, asked the public to "apply proper construction" in Duterte's waste basket statement. He further noted that the President's statement was in context with China's concern that they ignored the ruling. — RSJ, GMA News