Sen. Ralph Recto lauded President Duterte for invoking the Philippine's 2016 victory in The Hague on the territorial dispute with China.

"Great speech, Mr. President. If there’s an Emmy for the UN General Assembly speeches, the one he delivered can win the prize for the best written," said the Senate President Pro Tempore.

"The team who put policies to prose should be congratulated. What they put together is the template for presidential addresses: Cohesive, coherent, and straight to the point," he added.

In his debut at the United Nations General Assembly, Duterte said the Philippines rejects any attempts to undermine the 2016 arbitral ruling that upheld the country's sovereign rights in parts of the South China Sea, which the country calls the West Philippine Sea.

"The award is now part of international law, beyond compromise and beyond the reach of passing governments to dilute, diminish, or abandon. We firmly reject attempts to undermine it," Duterte said in his pre-recorded speech aired in the UNGA Wednesday.

Recto said Duterte's pronouncement should clear doubts on Duterte's stand on the territorial dispute with China, which he also considers an ally.

"The President’s unequivocal stance against China’s illegal reclamation in our seas should to put rest any ambivalence on where he and our government stand on this important issue,"

"From where he spoke, with the whole world watching, he was able to plant our flag on a territory that historically and legally is ours."

"If he was able to convey his thoughts with clarity to the world, all the more he should do the same to his own people at this time when they need hope and direction," he said.

Recto, however, maintained his appeal about the government's engagements with state-owned Chinese firms.

"We should be careful in dealing with state-owned Chinese companies investing in our telecommunications, power, and reclamation, including airports and seaports as these are national security concerned," he said.