Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada (Senate PRIB)

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada has called on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to raise before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) the continued aggression of China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), as well as the historic 2016 arbitral ruling.

In a statement, Estrada urged the agency to “represent the voice of the Filipino people on the world stage”.

“Sobra-sobra na ang ginagawa ng China. Ilang beses nang nalagay sa panganib ang ating mga kababayan. Aantayin pa ba natin na may mas malala pang mangyari bago tayo kumilos? Huwag naman sana,” the senator said.

(China’s actions have gone too far. Our countrymen have been put in danger several times already. Are we going to wait for something worse to happen before we act? I hope not.)

Estrada recalled that the Senate took a collective stance as early as August last year by adopting Senate Resolution (SR) No. 79, which condemned China’s repeated violations and aggressive actions in the WPS.

Under the resolution, the senators urged the DFA and other relevant government agencies to take “appropriate actions”. 

The Senate president pro tempore said this includes pushing the government to intensify its efforts to engage the international community in upholding the country’s hard-earned victory at The Hague, Netherlands.

In 2016, The Philippines won its arbitration case against China after an international arbitral tribunal invalidated Beijing’s expansive nine-dash line claim covering the majority of the South China Sea (SCS).

China, however, rejected this victory as it described the decision as “illegal and invalid”.

“It’s high time that the DFA heed the Senate’s call and take a decisive step in pursuing the filing of a resolution before the [UNGA] to call for the immediate cessation of all activities by China against our maritime authorities and Filipino fisherfolk,” said Estrada.

By bringing this matter to the attention of the UN’s main policy-making body, the Philippines can emphasize that the dispute extends beyond just two countries, Estrada said.

“It is about upholding international law and the sovereignty of all nations, regardless of their size,” he added.

If push comes to shove, Estrada said the government can also consider pursuing further legal recourse through international courts, akin to the 2016 arbitration ruling.