Rules-based order 'indispensable,' says DFA's Lazaro as PH faces aggression in SCS

The Philippines has reaffirmed its steadfast commitment to upholding the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes as it decried hostile actions against Filipinos in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have repeatedly clashed over hotly contested territories being claimed by China nearly in its entirety.

In her address before the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro stressed that all nations — big or small — must adhere to international law.

"There is no good global order other than one based on international law and the principle of the sovereign equality of states," Lazaro told the UN on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).  

"A rules-based order is indispensable," she said.

Beijing has aggressively asserted sovereignty over most of the South China Sea and accused smaller claimant states, such as the Philippines, of intruding into its territories.

Chinese Coast Guard, Navy and suspected maritime militia ships have used high-pressure water cannons and dangerous maritime maneuvers to Philippine ships or vessels China has accused of entering its territorial waters illegally.

The Philippines had shown restraint amid several confrontations with China, particularly during the June 17, 2024 incident where Chinese Coast Guard vessels rammed Philippine vessels, seized firearms and rubber boats, and threatened Filipino soldiers with knives, axe and spears to stop them from delivering food supplies, firearms and other necessities to Filipino troops at the Second Thomas Shoal.

A grounded World War II-era vessel, the BRP Sierra Madre, serves as a Philippine military outpost at the shoal, called Ayungin Shoal by the Philippines.

"While our government vessels and fisherfolk continue to be harassed in our own waters, and as we remain on the receiving end of illegal, coercive, aggressive, and dangerous actions in the South China Sea, we abide by the UNCLOS as reinforced by the binding 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea," Lazaro said.

UNCLOS stands for United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, regarded as the global constitution for the seas signed by162 nations, including the Philippines and China.

Lazaro did not mention China specifically, but Western and regional powers led by Philippine ally, the United States, have frequently denounced China for its coercive and illegal actions in the West Philippine Sea, that part of the South China Sea that is nearest to the Philippines' archipelago. 

Lazaro told the UN that the Philippines is committed to diplomacy and other peaceful means to settle disputes.

"Our pledge to peace is unwavering," she said. "To maritime nations such as the Philippines, international law, particularly the 1982 Law of the Sea, is fundamental to our future." — RSJ, GMA Integrated News