PCG hits mockery of arbitral ruling

MANILA, Philippines — Deluded into believing that its military and economic might “can make its actions right,” China continues its “blatant disregard” for the 2016 arbitral ruling that nullified its vast sea claims and reaffirmed Manila’s maritime entitlements, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said yesterday.

“Over the past eight years, China has demonstrated a blatant disregard for international law and has belittled institutions that aim to maintain global order,” Tarriela, spokesman for the PCG in the National Task Force-West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), said in a post on X.

He said such delusion has “emboldened” China to continue its “persistent and continuous aggressive and unlawful actions in the entire South China Sea.”

Tarriela wrote the post in response to an X post by China’s Global Times on Friday calling the 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, “illegal” and full of “fallacies.”

“Despite the fallacies of the illegal #SouthChinaSea Arbitration Award released on July 12, 2016 being exposed, the Philippines continues to ignore the truth and instead celebrated the so-called ‘8th anniversary’ of the illegal arbitration award with Western allies on Friday,” according to the Global Times article posted on X.

It also quoted “analysts” as saying the Manila forum on the arbitral award last Friday was a “political show” aimed at perpetuaitng the “China threat” rhetoric and manipulating international perception “in order to constrain China.”

The Chinese publication was apparently referring to the forum organized by Stratbase ADR in Manila attended by ambassadors and other foreign delegates from the US, Japan, France, European Union and Australia to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the 2016 arbitral award.

“Just to inform you, the 2016 arbitral award remains one of the landmark decisions that declared China’s nine-dash line claim in the entire South China Sea as invalid, illegal and without any basis,” Tarriela said, addressing the Global Times.

As part of the commemoration of the Philippines’ legal victory against China in The Hague, the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan will hold a fluvial prayer