The public should choose the country's next set of leaders who will fight for their rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and not betray the nation, an anti-Duterte coalition said Monday, July 12.
The 1SAMBAYAN coalition, led by convenor and retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, issued the remark as the country commemorated the fifth anniversary of the historic arbitral ruling in The Hagues, Netherlands in 2016 which affirmed the Philippines' territorial claims in the South China Sea over China.
In a statement, the 1SAMBAYAN coalition said that the country "secured a historic win" in its fight to protect its territorial and maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea after the release of the arbitral ruling on July 12, 2016.
The historic ruling refers to the decision issued by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration which ruled in favor of the Philippines and invalidated China's nine-dash line claim that it uses to justify its encroachment into Manila's territory and maritime zones. China did not honor the ruling.
However, 1SAMBAYAN said that the five years that followed the momentous event "led to a gradual erosion of our strong position in the WPS and a continued diminution of our maritime rights."
"Yes, we won in 2016. But today, not only has the Duterte administration allowed a growing Chinese presence in WPS, but it also has – in the eyes of every patriotic Filipino – refused to assert and defend our sovereign territory and sovereign rights," it said.
"Instead of capitalizing on our victory five years ago and building on the gains, President Duterte worsened our position," it added.
As such, the coalition urged the public to change the narrative for the better by choosing the right set of leaders, alluding to the upcoming 2022 national elections.
"t is not too late. We hope to change that by finding leaders who will not betray our nation nor surrender our sovereignty and sovereign rights in the WPS, who will fight for what is ours, and who will continue the gains we won in 2016," it noted.
After winning in the 2016 elections, President Duterte developed warm ties with China and resorted to pursuing bilateral talks with the East Asian giant to avoid escalating tension in the disputed waters.
Critics, however, see this as a defeatist stance while calls for enforcing the arbitral ruling to drive away Chinese ships in the WPS continue to this day.
Last March, around 220 Chinese maritime militia vessels and military ships swarmed Julian Felipe (Whitsun) Reef in the WPS which sparked another tension between Manila and Beijing. The reef is located about 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan.
This prompted the Department of National Defense (DND) to seek the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in filing a series of protests against China's incursion in the country's waters.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana then issued strongly-worded statements as he urged China to withdraw their vessels at Julian Felipe Reef. However, the Chinese Embassy said the vessels were only in the area to seek shelter from the bad weather.
"I am no fool. The weather has been so good so far so they have no reason to stay there. These vessels should be on their way out. Umalis na kayo dyan (Leave the area)," Lorenzana said on April 3.
The swarming incident went on for months and even spread to other parts of WPS. In response, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) deployed additional assets to conduct more sovereignty patrols in the area.
The international community also expressed support to the Philippines' position in the WPS including United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and Japan among others.