Senator Leila de Lima. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
Senator Leila de Lima on Thursday said President Rodrigo Duterte has “forfeited” the international ruling that merited the Philippines’ right over the West Philippine Sea.
De Lima said this in time for the second anniversary since a foreign tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands favored the country over China’s claims in the disputed waters.
She further argued that due to the Presidents’ actions, the conflict with China has been left for other countries to deal.
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“Since the Duterte regime has chosen to forfeit the ruling that the Aquino government worked so hard for, the challenge against China’s continued acts of domination and militarization in the South China Sea is left to other countries like the United States and its allies in Asia and the Pacific,” she said in a statement.
The ruling provided these countries the “moral and legal force” necessary to observe international law, De Lima said.
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Despite her tirades against the President, the senator, however, noted that this day is a “victory that should not be forgotten by the Filipino people.”
“Today we celebrate the International Arbitration Tribunal award not only as a victory against Chinese aggression, but as a testament to the Filipino nation’s commitment to international law and the pursuit of an honorable peace among its neighbors,” she said. /jpv