AFP urges more LGUs to declare July 12 as West Philippine Sea Victory Day

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday urged more local government units (LGUs) to declare July 12 as West Philippine Sea Victory Day in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling.

In an interview on Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon, AFP spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea Rear Admiral (ret.) Roy Vincent Trinidad said the ruling was a landmark legal victory for the Philippines that deserves to be commemorated every year.

"Una sa lahat, itong ruling ng Arbitral Tribunal which we are commemorating on the 12th, the 10th anniversary, it's a landmark decision. Ibig sabihin, this will go down in the annals of history in jurisprudence as a legal victory for the country," he said.

(First of all, the Arbitral Tribunal ruling that we are commemorating on July 12, its 10th anniversary, is a landmark decision. It will go down in the annals of history and jurisprudence as a legal victory for the country.)

Trinidad encouraged other LGUs, non-government organizations, and government offices to adopt similar measures, noting that Cebu City and the municipality of Labrador in Pangasinan have already passed resolutions commemorating the anniversary.

"We are encouraging our LGUs, not only local government units but also non-government organizations and various government offices, to show support for this ruling," he added.

Trinidad said the ruling invalidated China's so-called nine-dash line claim and affirmed the Philippines' maritime entitlements.

"Importante ito sapagkat this debunked the 9-dash claim of the Chinese Communist Party… The ruling of the Arbitral Tribunal in 2016 affirms na yung ating maritime domain, yung ating entitlement ay para sa Pilipinas."

(This is important because it debunked the Chinese Communist Party's nine-dash line claim. The 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling affirmed that the Philippines is entitled to its maritime domain and maritime rights.)

The AFP official also cited recent survey results from OCTA Research, saying these indicate that many Filipinos understand the West Philippine Sea issue and support efforts to defend the country's maritime rights.

Asked how the AFP continues to uphold the arbitral ruling despite China's rejection of it, Trinidad said the military remains committed to conducting maritime patrols and strengthening defense engagements with like-minded nations.

"Yung pag-perform ng ating mandate… tuloy-tuloy 'yan. Yung pag-conduct ng mga patrols, yung pag-engage natin ng mga like-minded nations… nagpapakita na tayo ay magpapatuloy na itaguyod yung ating maritime rights," he said.

(We continue to carry out our mandate. We continue conducting patrols and engaging with like-minded nations. These activities demonstrate our commitment to upholding our maritime rights.)

Trinidad also said the AFP has been coordinating with the Department of Education to educate students about the country's maritime domain and the significance of the arbitral ruling.

Meanwhile, the AFP maintained that the continued presence of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea remains a serious security concern despite a decline in the number of monitored ships in June.

According to Trinidad, the AFP monitored 74 vessels from the People's Liberation Army Navy and the China Coast Guard in key areas of the West Philippine Sea last month.

"Seryosong hamon ito sapagkat ano man ang sabihin nila, hindi nila tayo malilinlang," he said.

(This remains a serious challenge because, no matter what they say, they cannot mislead us.)

He added that while the AFP monitored 20,494 domestic and foreign vessels transiting Philippine waters in June, the military continues to challenge vessels over radio as part of standard maritime security procedures to verify their identity and movements. — MCG, GMA News