Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo received the commemorative stamp marking the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the landmark convention that was the basis of the Philippines’ arbitral win over China.
(Photos from Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo's Twitter page)
The stamp was issued by the Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost) days after a fire broke out and gutted the historic Manila Central Post Office.
“Grateful to receive the commemorative stamp honoring the 40th anniversary of UNCLOS, esp in the aftermath of the devastating fire that engulfed @PostOfficePH,” the official posted on Twitter.
“This symbolic gesture reaffirms PH commitment to #UNCLOS & serves as a reminder of the resilience of our postal service,” he wrote.
Manalo’s post was accompanied by a photo of him holding the framed commemorative stamp with the words, “UNCLOS @ 40.”
Known as the “constitution of the oceans,” UNCLOS was the foundation of the 2016 Hague ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea.
The Philippines, led by then Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario through former president Benigno Aquino III, took Beijing to court and won the monumental arbitration case that empowered nations to call on China to cease its aggressive actions in the resource-rich region.