Yasay clarifies reaction on PH tribunal win: I wasn’t unhappy

MANILA, Philippines— It’s not that he is not happy. He’s just being diplomatic.

Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said this Wednesday morning as he dispelled the perception that he was not pleased with the United Nations arbitral tribunal ruling that granted the Philippines’ plea to invalidate China’s expansive nine-dash line claim to the South China Sea.

“We didn’t want to gloat with our victory with respect to the arbitral award,” Yasay told reporters.

“If you thought and assumed that I was not happy with arbitral award, let me tell you, you have no basis in doing so,” he said in a presser held just before his meeting with United States Secretary of State John Kerry.

Yasay belied reports that the Philippines had backed down on the inclusion of the arbitral award in the joint communique of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) recently held in Vientiane.

“We vigorously pushed for the inclusion… in the mentioning of the arbitral award. This was a diplomatic tack that had to be made. We know this was a middle ground,” Yasay said.

READ: Yasay denies China claim of victory in Asean meeting

He said he was “very happy” with the unified statement eventually reached by the 10-member bloc, which had previously failed to come together behind a strong statement against Chinese incursions into the disputed South China Sea.

Yasay said the statement was reached “on a unanimous basis to ensure that general principles and foundations on which it (Asean) was established will be upheld.”

The statement made no mention of the Philippines’ victory but said the bloc respects the rule of law. CDG

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