China vs.

Philippines
Law of the Seas
1. Summarize the points by both countries in the arbitral
ruling.
Answer: Our motherland Philippines and our neighbor China
both claim the islands, banks, and reefs located west of the
Philippines and South of China. It reached to a point where our
country had summoned China into United Nations Law of the
Seas or UNCLOS during Aquino Administration. We had filed
the protest and had given all the evidences claiming that it was
ours. On the other side, China did insist their unlawful and
illogical Nine Dash Line. However, the arbitral ruling
considering all the provisions of the law of the seas stated in
UNCLOS favored us and we had won the case. But the People’s
Republic of China was unshakable and continue doing their
reclamation in our territory which is part of our exclusive
economic zone.

2. Give at least three reasons why the arbitral ruling was

rendered in favor of the Philippines.
Answer: We had won the case and we have to remain firm with
our rights and prerogatives on our own territories. We have the
legal basis and legal concrete evidence which was witnessed by
the entire world. The reasons why they favor us is that the Nine
Dash Line is vague and has no coordinates. Also, they only
submit it in 2009 wherein the UNCLOS has already drafted its
territories of each nation and it is already working. Next would
be our Murillo Map of 1734 which is the mother of all Maps
wherein the Scarborough Shoal can be seen which was
originally named as Panacot. Looking at the logical lens, this
only means that we already owned it 200 years ago where the
China invented their Nine Dash Line in 1940s. Third will be the
historical background. If China insisted that their Nine Dash
Line is historically-based, then so we are. We have the
balangays the earliest form of water transportation 2,000 years
ago. China is an agricultural nation and ours, the Philippines is a
maritime-driven nation. We had already explored the islands
unlike China which had already discovered later on. Lastly,
China did only adapt the British Map wherein the English names
of islands were just transliterated into Chinese terms that is why
they had misinterpreted the James Shoal as an island but it is
submerged 22 meters below. The Kalayaan group of islands are
much nearer to us unlike in China which is 950 nautical miles
far from the islands and in Hainan China.

3. After the said arbitral ruling, what did any of the parties
do to enforce the said arbitral ruling?
Answer. Despite the efforts and the result of the arbitral ruling
emanating from the international laws that should be followed
by the countries’ signatory to UNCLOS, China does not
recognize the validity of the winning of Philippines. What
Philippines is doing is that it continues its peace talk or bilateral
relation with China to solve the issue. Our policy with China is
somewhat graceful and soft. Our government is cautious to
avoid resorting into war. We cannot afford to do war as our
Filipino citizens wanted to. Our country will continue its
communication efforts with China to clarify things and solve the
dispute. Although the Arbitral success we have become useless
piece of paper as China does not honor it. We had no choice but
to choose the non-risky strategies to save hundred million of
lives from war.