Sobriety, humility urged after PH victory in arbitral court

A political analyst on Wednesday called on Filipinos to remain calm and exercise restraint following the Philippines’s landmark win in its arbitration case against China over disputed South China Sea.

READ: Court junks China claims

Clarita Carlos, a retired political science professor at the University of the Philippines, said the country should not rub in its victory against China to avoid escalating tensions and to maintain healthy relations with the Asian powerhouse.

“Let’s not float. Let’s not flaunt this thing, and let’s just be sober,” Carlos said over Radyo Inquirer 990AM.

Carlos, who also served as president of the National Defense College of the Philippines, said the “less exhilarated reaction” of Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay on the favorable ruling was just appropriate, in deference to possible “back channeling” with China.

READ: PH welcomes ‘milestone decision’ on West Philippine Sea

“People really were a bit disturbed by Yasay’s less than exhilarated reaction. And that’s how it should be because I suspect, my hypothesis is that there are already a lot of back channeling. China maybe have promised to build the railway in Mindanao, ‘yung gym nila dun; promised to help us with our subway or what, subway in Edsa,” she said.

As the government plans its next move, Carlos noted that the Philippines should keep friendly ties with both China and Manila’s ally the United States.

READ: South China Sea ruling deepens tensions between US, China

“We’ll keep on insisting that ‘wag na tayong pagpipilian between China and the US because we want to be friends with both. We don’t need to be smart about it. We have a mutual defense treaty with the US. But at the same time, China is our neighbor,” Carlos said.

“Alam mo sa ating mga Asians, space is very important. Alam mo na ngang natalo, ingungud-ngod mo pa. Wag nating wala-an ng space ang international community,” she added.

READ: China blames Philippines for stirring up trouble in dispute | Angry China warns of sea conflict

The professor said it would be best for China to at least “take note” of the arbitral court’s decision without necessarily respecting it, ahead of possible talks with the Philippines and other countries in the disputed areas.

“The best they can do is take note of it and then continue with our engagement … Hindi ba pwede mong sabihin lang na ‘noted.’ ‘Wag na tayong humingi ng ‘we respect the decision’ kasi mas mataas na level ang respect and I don’t think they’re prepared to do that,” Carlos said.

“But I think the international community is watching and the international knows that it (China) is aspiring to be a superpower, but I don’t know what rule of law their President Xi Jinping is talking about if they’re not going to respect this decision of this tribunal,” she added.

China, through its foreign ministry, said it “neither accepts nor recognizes” the ruling, calling it as “null and void and has no binding force.”

READ: China rejects ruling on South China Sea as ‘null and void’

The Permanent Court of Arbitration on Tuesday released its 501-page decision on the arbitration case filed by the Philippines in 2013, which concluded that “there was no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within the sea areas falling within the ‘nine-dash line.’” With Jaehwa Bernardo, trainee

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FULL TEXT: Final decision on West PH Sea dispute by UN tribunal