Gibo weighs in on proposal to bring WPS case vs China to UN
Published Jun 27, 2023 06:21 am
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. said that the proposal to elevate the West Philippine Sea (WPS) case against China to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) should be carefully studied.
*(File photo)
* Speaking to reporters on Monday, June 26, Teodoro acknowledged that the Philippines’ rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) should be presented to the entire world to counter China’s aggression in the WPS. “Aralin muna natin pero kailangan ang mga karapatan ng Republika ng Pilipinas sa ilalim ng UNCLOS, kailangan maipaintindi natin sa buong mundo (Let’s just study this first but we should let the world understand the rights of the Republic of the Philippines under the UNCLOS),” Teodoro stressed. “Kailangan talaga ang debate ay i-transfer natin mula sa loob ng Pilipinas sa the rest of the world upang ang cause ng Pilipino ay malaman (It is a must that the debate should be transferred from within the Philippines to the rest of the world so that they would know the cause of the Filipinos),” he added. The proposal of retired Supreme Court senior associate justice Antonio Carpio to bring the WPS case to UNGA has been gaining support from several lawmakers, among them Senators Risa Hontiveros, Francis Tolentino, and JV Ejercito. Carpio, in a forum last May 29, said that the Marcos administration should submit a resolution to the UNGA, the main policy-making organ of the United Nations, to compel China to adhere to the 2016 arbitral ruling. The landmark ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) invalidated Beijing’s claims to around 90 percent of the area in the South China Sea (SCS), including those within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines or what is now known as the WPS. China continues to ignore the ruling and operate in the WPS. If the best way to address China’s actions in the WPS is by catching the attention of the UNGA, Teodoro said it is up to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to consider all possible scenarios. However, the Defense Chief said that the UNGA could be rendered “incapacitated” since it will be the UN Security Council that will be the enforcer of whatever decisions would be made by the UNGA. The challenge is that the five “permanent members” of the UN Security Council – China, United States, France, Russia, and United Kingdom – all have veto powers to prevent the adoption of a proposal from the UNGA. “Minsan ang UN ay incapacitated din kung tama man ‘yung term o hindi dahil bago sila pwede mag-enforce ng action, kailangan dumaan sa UN Security Council (Sometimes, UN is also incapacitated, if the term is right or not, since before they could enforce an action, they need to pass through the UN Security Council),” Teodoro explained.