PH begins plea vs China before UN tribunal

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MANILA — Malacanang on Wednesday said that the Philippines started presenting its arguments before the United Nations International Tribunal on the Law of  the Sea.

The Philippines is arguing for the jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal on the case and that it should declare China’s claim of about 90 percent of the disputed territories as invalid and violative of international law.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement that Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario made an “made an impassioned plea for the Tribunal to recognize its jurisdiction due to the importance of the case not just to our country but to the entire world owing to its impact on the application of the Rule of Law in maritime disputes.”

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, chief counsel for the case, Paul Richler, “presented the justification for the tribunal’s jurisdiction over the Philippine claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”

Valte added that following Richler was Professor Philippe Sands who said that “the Philippines did not raise questions of sovereignty over land or raise questions of maritime delimitation.”

The oral argument started on July 7 and will end on or earlier than July 13.

“For the second day of the oral arguments, the Philippines’ lawyers will further explain how the Philippine case did not fall under the specific UNCLOS exemptions which would preclude the tribunal from hearing the case,” the statement said.

“They also will present strong arguments regarding the strength of the Philippines’ environmental and fishing claims against China.

China, however, did not participate in the hearing citing its “indisputable sovereignty” over the territory.