PH insists on ‘rule of law’ in S. China Sea

“DISREGARD the rule of law and you fall in conflict prevention,” the Philippine ambassador to the United Nations has said, stressing the importance of the arbitration case the country has brought to invalidate China’s excessive claims in the South China Sea.

In remarks during a recent panel discussion on disarmament and collective security in Geneva, Ambassador and Permanent Representative Cecilia Rebong of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations stressed the importance of the rule of law in the conduct of diplomacy and international relations.

“Sustainable peace and security are made possible by a rules-based regime, generally accepted by countries, that equalizes powerful actors and their less influential ones,” a statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila Friday quoted Rebong as saying.

“Sustainable peace and security are direct products of the reason and ascendancy of the rule of law,” Rebong said.

Rebong cited as an example the Philippines’ arbitration case in the United Nations Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

The DFA said the sentiments were echoed in the statement of Michael Moller, director general of the United Nations office in Geneva.

“Disarmament is not only a security issue, it is interlinked with rule of law, human rights, trust, among others. A wholistic approach which prioritizes prevention rather than focusing on the cure,” Moller said.

The Geneva discussion centered on the practical and achievable steps that disarmament could provide to build confidence, political trust, defuse tensions and bolster cooperation in an increasingly charged international environment.

Rebong’s statement came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a remark in Washington on Thursday calling the Philippine arbitration case against China “irresponsible.”

Malacañang and the DFA declined to comment on Wang’s remarks, saying the Philippines respected the arbitration process and the independence of the arbitral court.