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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider De Lima urges Marcos admin to raise West Philippine Sea issue before UNGA

De Lima urges Marcos admin to raise West Philippine Sea issue before UNGA

Published Aug 28, 2025 07:14 pm

At A Glance

  • Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima is urging the executive department to push for a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that would compel China to respect the Philippines' sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and to stop its hostile activities there.
Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima is urging the executive department to push for a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that would compel China to respect the Philippines’ sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and to stop its hostile activities there.
This, as De Lima led on Wednesday, Aug. 28, the filing of House Resolution No. 192, which urged Marcos administration to highlight the escalating tensions in the WPS before the international community.

“Nakikita natin na yung (We see that) tensions in the WPS have been escalating, and China has been persistent and relentless in its hostile and aggressive acts in the WPS,” De Lima said in filing the resolution.

“We know that many countries are with us in this fight, because the international law is with us. Alam ng mundo kung sino ang nanalo sa Arbitral ruling, alam ng mundo kung sino ang nasa tama (The world knows who won the arbitral ruling, the world knows who’s right here),” she added.  

HR No. 192 noted the increasingly aggressive activities of China at sea and in the air within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) over the years, which have affected and posed threats to the lives and livelihoods of our fishermen and soldiers. 

“Almost a decade after the Philippines’ victory in the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), the People's Republic of China (PRC) has failed to respect and comply with the said ruling. Worse, in direct defiance of the PCA’s 2016 ruling, the PRC has consistently conducted hostile and dangerous naval, coast guard, and aerial operations throughout the WPS,” the resolution read. 

“Although not legally binding, UNGA resolutions carry significant political weight and serve as expressions of the will and consensus of the international community, with the potential to shape international norms, influence national policies, and provide guidance for the work of other UN organs, specialized agencies, and regional organizations,” it added.

In September 2024, the Department Foreign Affairs (DFA) reportedly disclosed plans to file a resolution before the UNGA to address the tensions in the WPS, but this has not yet happened. This action was also recommended by former Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio as early as 2023. 

De Lima and Carpio were part of the Philippine delegation who presented the country's case before PCA in The Hague, Netherlands. 

“We can never tell what is the next move of China. We cannot afford further escalation in the WPS. That’s why we should not stop asserting our sovereigh rights and seeking support from the international community,” De Lima said.

“Kapag ganyan na patuloy na nagmamatigas ang China (If China continues to be stubborn), then the more that we must take legal steps to address this issue,” she further said.

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