Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario on Friday welcomed the submission of a joint Note Verbale by France, the United Kingdom and Germany before the United Nations challenging China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea.

In a statement, Del Rosario said the three powerful European nations invoked the primacy of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in the South China Sea and the Arbitral Award won by the Philippines against China in a ruling handed down by the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on July 12, 2016.

“The position of France, Germany and the UK also unequivocally supports the will of the Filipino people, as shown in surveys, that our Government should raise the arbitral ruling in the UN General Assembly and other international fora,” the former DFA chief said.

Given the clear international and domestic support for our arbitral ruling, Del Rosario expressed his disappointment over the government’s handling of the Arbitral Ruling and its continuous refusal to raise the decision.

“It is both incomprehensible and disappointing that our Government refuses to invoke the arbitral ruling for the sake of the Filipino people. It is our fervent hope that our Government will finally listen to its people,” he said.

In their submission to the UN on Wednesday, September 16, 2020 (Thursday in Manila), the three European countries highlighted, that claims about Beijing's exercise of “historic rights” over the South China Sea waters do not comply with international law and the UNCLOS provisions, citing, in particular, the Award won by the Philippines before the international court in The Hague.