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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider De Lima backs calls to file new arbitral case vs China

De Lima backs calls to file new arbitral case vs China

Published Aug 11, 2025 05:40 pm

At A Glance

  • Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima has echoed calls for the filing of another case against China on the West Philippine Sea (WPS), similar to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) case that the Philippines won in July 2016.
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima (Ellson Quismorio/ MANILA BULLETIN)


Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima has echoed calls for the filing of another case against China on the West Philippine Sea (WPS), similar to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) case that the Philippines won in July 2016.
"We are one with the call of filing another arbitral case against China in an appropriate International tribunal," De Lima said in a statement Monday, Aug. 11.
"Pati ba ang planong ito ay i-a-archive at ibabaon na lang sa limot? Ang pagkapanalo natin sa laban na ito ay hindi kapirasong papel lang, kundi paninindigan para sa pambansang dangal na tunay nating maipagmamalaki, at kinikilala at sinusuportahan ng iba pang mga bansa," she said.
(Will this plan also be archived and buried into oblivion? Our victory in this struggle is not just a scrap of paper, but a stand for national dignity that we can truly be proud of, and which is recognized and supported by other nations.)
Issued on July 12, 2016, by the PCA in The Hague, the ruling invalidated China’s sweeping nine-dash line claim over the South China Sea, where the WPS is located.
It effectively upheld the Philippines’ maritime entitlements under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and has since been cited around the world as a milestone in the defense of a rules-based international order.
For some reason, former president Rodrigo Duterte has described the arbitral award a just a piece of paper. De Lima, a former senator, is a Duterte critic.
On Monday, it was reported that Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessels chased after Philippine ships during a mission to aid Filipino fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc in the WPS. Two CCG vessels ended up colliding with each other.
"China must be held accountable for their illegal actions. Defending the WPS means defending our fishermen and our dignity as a sovereign nation," De Lima said.
"Together with the WPS bloc in the House of Representatives, I also call on our colleagues in Congress for the swift passage of House Bill (HB) No. 1625 or the 'West Philippine Sea Mandatory Education Act' which mandates the integration of the WPS issue into our primary and secondary education curriculum, and HB 1626 which declares July 12 as the 'National West Philippine Sea Victory Day'," the ML solon said.
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