Supporters honor PNoy as 'chief architect' of WPS arbitral victory 

To mark the 10th anniversary of the Philippines’ landmark arbitral victory in the West Philippine Sea, supporters of former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, also known as “PNoy,” paid tribute to him as the chief architect of the legal challenge.

The tribute organized by the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF) and the Liberal Party of the Philippines on Sunday was also joined by fisherfolk communities and allied groups.

In a statement, the NCAF honored Aquino’s role in launching the 2013 arbitration case against China, which culminated in the historic 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which invalidated China’s nine-dash line claim and affirmed the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) rights.

In the program, NCAF Executive Director Kiko Aquino Dee paid tribute to Aquino, his “Tito Noy,” whom he recalled as someone who dealt with the WPS territorial dispute “with grace.”

"It showed that we lived under a rules-based order. It showed that we can settle our differences peacefully. It showed that we can talk to each other and in resolving disputes, we don't have to resort to violence," Dee said.

Dee acknowledged that while the country’s actions to defend the WPS have become “very aggressive and loud” over the past decade, the late president’s “example remains relevant today.”

In his message, Liberal Party President and former congressman Erin Tañada echoed similar sentiments, noting that territorial rights can be defended without resorting to violence.

"Ang panawagan natin sa mga kongresista at senador, importante na pinag-iisipan natin na hindi tayo gumamit ng dahas,” Tañada said.

(Our call to our Congressmen and Senators is that it is vital for us to ensure we do not resort to violence.)

“We asserted our rights and we won it, just like we did in 1986 when we won EDSA. We will continue to remember this and continue to tell our story to our children and the next generation," he added.

On behalf of the fishing communities, Bagong Pangarap Fishermen Association chairman Restituto “Ka Resty” del Rosario expressed gratitude to Aquino, while noting his appreciation for the growing number of Filipinos standing up for the country’s maritime rights.

Del Rosario also shared that he is encouraged by the local government units that have officially begun observing July 12 as an annual “Day of Victory.”

On Sunday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) shared a joint statement by the Philippines and 13 other countries reiterating their stance that there is no legal basis for China's claims in the South China Sea.

"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,'" the joint statement read.

"We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, stable, and rules-based, anchored in international law, and commemorate the 10th anniversary of the July 12, 2016, Arbitral Tribunal’s landmark and unanimous decision on the South China Sea constituted under Annex VII of UNCLOS," it added.

The statement was joined by the governments of the Republic of the Philippines, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Romania, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

Despite the landmark decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, China has refused to recognize the ruling. — BM, GMA News