In this photo taken Feb. 25, 2014 by surveillance planes and released Thursday, May 15, 2014, by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, a Chinese vessel, top center, is used to expand structures and land on the Johnson Reef, called Mabini by the Philippines and Chigua by China, at the Spratly Islands at South China Sea, Philippines. The Philippines has protested China’s reclamation of land in the disputed reef in the South China Sea that can be used to build an airstrip or an offshore military base in the increasingly volatile region, the country’s top diplomat and other officials said Wednesday, May 14, 2014. The white arrow was added by the source. (MNS photo) MANILA, Dec 1 (Mabuhay) – The Philippines has expressed optimism that the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague would hand down a “truly just solution” to its case against China over disputed waters. According to a bulletin issued by Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte from The Hague on Monday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario summarized the salient points of the arguments presented to the Tribunal over the course of the First and Second Rounds of Argument. “We recognize that the Tribunal’s mission is judicial. The Tribunal must decide the claims on the basis of the facts and the law, in this case UNCLOS. We submit that on that basis alone, the Tribunal must sustain all of the Philippines’ claims, especially in regard to the maritime entitlements of the Parties, and the exclusive sovereign rights Read More …
