The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has acknowledged the Senate's call for the agency to raise a voice before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) with regards to the Chinese harassment in the West Philippine Sea and to act on its activities.
DFA's backing came as lawmakers adopted a resolution urging the agency to also file a resolution before the international fora and seek multilateral support.
"The interest of legislators on promoting the 2016 Arbitral Award represents a national consensus on the important contribution of the Award and UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) to the Philippines as a maritime and archipelagic nation, for which the rule of law on the oceans is a key national interest," Ma. Teresita Daza, the agency's spokesperson said.
DFA supported Senate Resolution 718 by saying that the measure "suggested actions which the executive branch [must] pursue to address the actions by China which hamper the ability of Filipinos to benefit from the resources of the WPS and interfere with legitimate enforcement operations by Philippine government vessels."
Daza said all future diplomatic activities to be taken with regards to China’s activities "will be carefully assessed and calibrated to ensure that these will promote the national interest and bring optimal benefits for the country."
Considerations will include in bilateral and multilateral realms and the choice of modalities, fora and timing, Daza added.
"The Philippine Government has a sustained program to promote the understanding of UNCLOS and the Arbitral Award to gain support of foreign governments for the Philippine position," she said.
Senators debated last month whether to adopt a resolution that would call out China's harassment against Filipino personnel and fishers in the West Philippine Sea as Manila also got the backing of dozens of countries in its territorial fight for the said waters.